“The first notes date back to November 2010. The sharp but soothing tunes of a kalimba echoed through the bar all the way to the comfortable sofa next to the check out counter. YHA Yamba with Shane's Ten Buck Tour around the town and rooftop barbeques were all done and it was time to catch the snoose-line all the way down to Sydney. With the first surfing lesson in fresh memory, it was easy to put my mind up on the footstool and dive into the moment. The hostel lobby was filled with babble, clinking cocktail glasses and knives inviting forks for a dance. The moment was then stirred down with laughter and enjoyed responsibly. That sofa really did feel comfortable, now that I think of it. Backpacks were passing by feeling worried but still full of joy and excitement. They were proud to hold dearly their carriers' treasures along the upcoming adventure. The same adventure, which I had already travelled. And now felt I had finished.

And at that moment, I got the last word on the matter. I want to be a bartender. I want to be a hospitalian. I want to become an entrepreneur. When the troubadour Paul Appelkamps final chords became free game for the audience, I decided I'll come back for the hunt one day in the future.”

After having 5 years of bartending under my suspenders in Helsinki (Storyville, Sling in Bar & the Son of a Punch bars), that "one day in the future" arrived. I landed in Sydney on the 19th of October 2017. 2 and a half years flew by quickly, working at Bulletin Place bar and learning at the best Australian bar from the best Australian bartenders. I consider myself lucky.

Somehow I managed to squeeze in a 3 month farm work to earn a second working holiday visa and that’s where Ria came along. Two Finns met in a rural mandarin farm in the middle of nowhere, what are the odds. Luckily, she shared the passion for a bar venture and after some tough Covid years, we opened Bar Mate together on the 9th of June 2022.

So here we are, first time entrepreneurs sharing our passion with you.

We believe communication is the key to life, whether it’s internal self-reflection or external communication
with a mate or a love buddy. At Bar Mate, we invite every guest to our bubble and hope to create a mateship (=a bond between equal and close friends) with everyone who has come to experience our hospitality. We believe two completely strangers can meet at the bar top, have a conversation over a highball, share a small plate and leave the venue as new friends.

Cheers mates!

- Mika Ammunét, Bartender & Founder of Bar Mate and Mate Hospitality