Issue 05

When Jan Schawe sought to open Mutterland, a delicatessen-café in the heart of Hamburg, he strived to create a concept that better connected people to local, high quality food. A reflection of his own philosophy and taste, the name Mutterland (motherland) is suggestive of the type of menu items and delicatessen products carefully selected and made in-house since 2007.  Mutterland’s cakes, sandwiches, jams, muesli and soups pay homage to traditional German home style (how mother made it) cuisine and highlights time honoured recipes from around the country.

At Mutterland’s three locations, Jan and his team only work with small family owned manufacturers in Germany to stock the floor to ceiling wooden crates (shelves) and displays throughout the store.  “The interior of Mutterland is democratic and not snobby, which means people will feel comfortable to come inside” says Jan. The Mutterland head office on Ernst-Merck-Straße is divided into a 26 seat café with large chalkboard walls as the backdrop and a delicatessen showcasing the various cheeses, meats, quiches, pastries and specialty food items such as small batch olive oils, jams, honey, pasta, beverages, chocolates, sauces and spices.

What’s next for the six year old company?  “Lots of people have contacted us about opening concepts like Mutterland in other parts of Germany.  We want to grow slowly.  Up next, we are rebuilding our web-shop for spring 2014, updating the design of the café and have a new chef in the kitchen.”

Five Local Items for the Pantry:

01 Borgmann 1772 Premium Herb Liqueur(Berlin): The Borgmann family started making this special (and secret) blend of indigenous herbs by hand in its family pharmacy in 1772 in Berlin.

02 Marge Feine Creationen(Hamburg):  Produces a variety of homemade, hand labelled, seasonal marmalades, pesto and jellies.  Moin Hamburg, a blend of grapefruit, banana, peach and passion fruit is made exclusively for Mutterland.  “Moin” is a greeting to say hello used in the Lower Saxony region of northwestern Germany and Southern Jutland in Denmark.

03 Kaiser Honig Lime and Ginger (Berlin): Started by Kris Kaiser in Berlin, Kaiser Honey makes a variety of flavoured honeys and honey based spreads in the city.

04 The Deli Garage Multipurpose Noodles(Hamburg): A local delicatessen food label that sells regional food in creatively design packages.  Their bolts, screws and nuts make up this traditional pasta made from durum wheat semolina and organic eggs.