Nestled along the seaside at Port Noblessner in Tallinn's Põhja-Tallinn neighborhood is Brewklyn Craft Beer Cafe, which offers the largest variety of American and Canadian craft beer in the Baltic and Nordic regions. 

Inside, the walls are covered in vibrant artwork inspired by the Brooklyn borough of New York City, a hub of cultural and creative diversity. Visitors are greeted by Mosaic, a friendly Finnish Laphund puppy who works full-time as Brewklyn's mascot. 

"We saw how cloudy and dark it could get in Estonia, so we decided to do a design that was not like any other place," said Brewklyn co-owner, Simone Heron, in an interview. "It's always colorful, bright and lit up inside. With the added bonus of having a dog to pet, it's a great place to be."

Brewklyn, which was started by a couple from the United States, recently reached its two-year anniversary. In achieving this milestone, owners Steve Brown and Simone Heron reflected on their journey starting a business from scratch in Estonia. 

"Reaching two years, it feels like we're a proof of concept," Heron said. "This is a business that can make it."

In 2023, Brown and Heron left their six-figure marketing jobs in New York City and packed their bags to start new lives in Estonia. 

"We sold all of our stuff, all of our furniture," Heron said. "We had a lot of confidence, but we did leave some clothing at our family's places because we didn't fully know if this would work."

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, political tensions in the U.S., and a desire for a slower pace of life and less stressful environment prompted the couple to start looking for other places around the world to live. 

"We definitely had plans to leave the U.S. at some point," Heron said. "We wanted to have another experience, expand our horizons, and experience a different culture."

The Nordic and Scandinavian regions of Europe piqued their interest after taking a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark. Upon researching, they discovered that Estonia had less barriers to entry for foreigners wanting to start a business among the Nordic and Scandinavian countries. 

"There was a whole website devoted to work in Estonia, and it listed all of the benefits," Heron said. "Whenever we list all those same things to anyone else, they say, 'I should move there too.'"

The relaxed way of life, cleanliness, safety and low crime rates also made Estonia an attractive destination. 

They also found that the craft beer market in Estonia had been growing, with the success of several local breweries turning Estonia into a destination for craft beer lovers. 

Although the couple had zero experience running a shop or bar, they believed that their skills in marketing could transfer over well. In addition, Brown had a deep understanding of branding in the alcohol and beverage industry from his previous jobs. He was also a craft beer connoisseur, having tried over 5,000 different beers. 

Seeing some gaps in the international beer market in Estonia, the couple seized the opportunity and turned Brewklyn into a unique shop where Estonians could taste fresh brews from around the world. 

"There are places that are very similar to us, all over the U.S, but it didn't exist in Estonia," Heron said. "When we saw that we could be the first ones to do this, that's when we said that we could do the big move and put all of our risk into this."

The couple received warm welcomes from the Estonian community before Brewklyn even opened. 

"People were so excited once they started hearing about us," Heron said. "They knew what we had to give up to be here. They knew we were giving up our lives to do this."

Two years later, the business is still seeing growth. Its customers are a mix of local Estonians and international travelers looking to experience high quality tastes from abroad. 

Customers can choose from a large selection of canned craft beers from breweries all over the U.S., Canada, Latvia, Sweden, Croatia and other countries. Patrons can either enjoy their drinks in the cafe or take their cans to-go. 

The freshness of the beer also brings an added quality, as the beers are imported in refrigeration. 

"They come refrigerated the entire way, from the breweries to our shop, Heron explained. "They come in a refrigerated container on a ship to a refrigerated warehouse in the Netherlands. Then a refrigerated truck goes from the Netherlands to here."

Brewklyn also has an online store where customers in Finland, Latvia and Lithuania can order shipments. 

Heron and Brown see Estonia as a good location for foreigners to come and start a business partly because it's a market that still has a lot of room for growth and development. 

The couple has no plans to leave Estonia anytime soon and is focusing on continuing to grow their business and see where it takes them. 

"Nowhere in this world is perfect, but Tallinn has been really great for us," Heron said. "We're in a good growth trajectory. We're happy and healthy here."

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