Our models are not only beautiful women, but also remarkable individuals in their every day life. In order to give you some more insight we'll start a small series of interviews with those extraordinary women.
Kairit is running a young, small, but already recognized meat industry in Räpina, Estonia - Traveler's Friend. During her 'free time' she is working on her bachelor’s thesis, raising a cool 6 year old rascal, being a loving wife to her husband and a crazy overlord to her two cats and a dozen chickens/ducks. She also actively gives workshops on cooking, speaks up publicly on social and political topics...and of course models for our jewellery.
Kairit wearing our SugarTwist Shades Triangle earrings
Tell me a bit about your background.
After high school I learned to become a cook. I worked as a cook and a chef in Estonia for about 3 years, 2 of them on a cruise ship between Tallinn and Stockholm. Then I went to Australia to see the world and I lived/worked there for 2 years as a chef/sous-chef. After two years I came back home to Estonia, I became a mother, an entrepreneur and got married. Today I’m the CEO and owner of a jerky brand named Traveler’s Friend.
What is your life motto?
Actually I’ve got quite a few mottoes in life. One of them is tightly tied with my special interests which are human rights, equality and feminism – the motto is: „live and let live“. The other motto is tied to my own life and profession – „What I don’t know I will learn“.
The lesson you have learned?
1. Always choose your partners, 2. If you can do it yourself, do it, if you can buy it, buy it. 3. Sometimes it’s better to do things yourself than to depend on someone else (I see that in my business every day when I send out inquiries for pricing or other things – sometimes I don’t get a reply for weeks (and sometimes not at all). Luckily I always send out many inquiries because usually when I need something I need it quick 😃.
What inspires you?
The human capacity to make the world a better place- more efficient, more sustainable, more safe and more fun. I’m so lucky to live in the 21st century! I mean.. in my pocket there is this device that can help me find out everything that I want to know. And I’ve seen these technologies emerge. When I was a kid I didn’t have a phone at home (although we had one.. where I could call you from downstairs to your room upstairs 😃).
What were you like in high school?
I’d like to think I was one of the cool kids. I had a lot to say and usually I didn’t hold back. Therefore I was in the students council for years. For a while I was also in the Estonian Student Councils Union managing board where I was the head of the field of education policy.
What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
I was in school (I’m in university currently working on my bachelor’s thesis) the other day and I have great friends there. So, this one friend, she bought a chocolate and just bit right into the whole thing. I asked her (mockingly) if that was really how she was going to eat it like that without breaking off the individual pieces. We both laughed hard about it. Later that same day when I started eating a banana she couldn’t hold her tongue and mocked me so hard I couldn’t eat the banana because I was afraid of choking on it while laughing, everyone was laughing in tears :D.
If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why?
I think I would be a tiger because they don’t have many natural predators (if any).
What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?
Driving is a pleasant thing to do since I can take some time off to myself and relax from working or studying. I usually I listen to music or whatever there is on the radio, usually talkshows (to keep up with the news and to think about politics).
Describe your relationship with jewellery :)
I love jewellery! If I had any other job where I could go out and look nice all day long I would wear lots of jewellery. Unfortunately since I’m mostly at home working or learning I don’t get to wear any too often ☹
You’ve been given an elephant. You can’t give it away or sell it. What would you do with the elephant?
I would build it a barn and take care of it of course 😊 It would have a nice life with my chickens and ducks. Maybe it would protect my birds from foxes too! 😃
Thank you, Kairit, for your time :)!