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It Started With A BBQ Class In Finland
Pork Mafia EU grew out of a friendship that began over a grill in 2015. A decade later, it's how the seasonings made their way to Europe — the same recipes, made to the same standard.

A Friendship Over Smoke And Fire

In 2015, Pork Mafia founder Phil Wingo travelled from Chicago to Finland to host a BBQ class. That’s where he met Tomi. The two stayed in touch, and over the years that followed they cooked together at competitions and events across Europe and the United States — running their own team and, now and then, guest cooking for others.

At the end of 2024, Phil made Tomi an offer: bring Pork Mafia to Europe. Make the seasonings here, sell them here, and give European cooks proper access to the range for the first time.

Early in 2025, Tomi called his friend Sami and asked if he wanted to build it with him. Sami said yes. The two of them have run Pork Mafia EU as partners ever since.

One Rule: It Had To Taste Like The Original

Tomi and Sami agreed on the hard part from the start. A European-made Pork Mafia seasoning had to taste like the American one. Not close enough — the same. If they couldn’t match it, there was no point making it.

They began in the summer of 2025 by finding a manufacturer who could hold that standard, batch after batch. That search came first, before any blending started, because consistency is what keeps a rub worth buying twice.

Once the right partner was in place, the real work started. They tested variation after variation, adjusting and tasting until the blends matched the originals. It took a year of steady effort before Pork Mafia EU was ready to sell — and they didn’t rush it to get there.

Where The Connections Are Made

Pork Mafia EU isn’t run by marketers. It’s run by people who love barbecue. Phil and Tomi have cooked together since 2015, across Europe and the US, with their own team and alongside others. Sami joined the team in 2025 at the Twin Smoke competition in Lithuania, and came on as a co-founder the same year.

That background shapes how the seasonings are made. When you spend your weekends being judged on flavour, you learn quickly what works and what doesn’t — and you stop tolerating anything that’s only good enough.