The YEME brand recently celebrated its 8th anniversary. Since its establishment, YEME has become a brand of choice for people who care about the quality and origin of their food. Its concept is based on offering fresh, local and artisanal products from mostly domestic farmers and producers. Its six stores in Bratislava, including a gluten-free bakery, and one in Nitra are leaders in selling Slovak food products. YEME’s next store will open in the heart of Vydrica, near the Water Tower, and will offer a unique concept and above standard services. According to the founder of the food store chain, Peter Varmuža, YEME and Vydrica are a natural match.
What is “whole-taste” food?
Taste is an instinctive aspect of quality. We can tell when food products are fresh, local and seasonal, or artisanal, homemade and unique. They simply taste good, and they taste different to us because they are full of flavour. You feel quality in such food. We at YEME believe that the food we eat reflects our relationship with ourselves. We make sure to fill up our cars with the best quality petrol, but we give less thought to what we eat. We only start to think about it more when, for example, we have a baby on the way. Ancient Indian Ayurveda, that describes the holistic principle of a healthy lifestyle, also says that food from nature contains a life force. When this life force and continuity are preserved without further processing, the food gives us more than just nutrients. That’s what we are looking for in food.
Who are your suppliers?
They are small, family and artisanal producers and farmers who put their heart and soul into producing quality, honest and sustainable food. We have products suitable for vegetarians, vegans and people with food intolerances, as well as award-winning foods. Our customers mostly prefer Slovak products from authentic Slovak producers and farmers, especially in organic or bio quality. Slovak food products accounted for more than 64% of YEME’s total food sales revenue in the second quarter of 2023, making our brand the long-standing leader in the Slovak market.
Why did you decide to open a new YEME store in Vydrica?
Vydrica is a wonderful place that connects the waterfront with the area under the castle hill and breathes new life into one of the most attractive historical parts of the city. The typical feature of our concept is that our stores offer modern food with traditional flavours, and that’s how we see the future Vydrica. And that’s why we want to be part of it.
Our new store will be located on the ground floor of the V2B building close to the Water Tower cultural heritage site. As well as selling food products, the almost 600 m2 store will also include a bistro and its own bakery. It will also be accessible from the underground car park as well as the street.
YEME is constantly innovating and improving its services. You have joined the Slow Food movement, AND you are training your own AI system, Aurora, you offer packaging-free shopping and operate your own food quality assurance system. What else are you planning for Vydrica?
In our new establishment, we want to present urban food production and bring it closer to our customers, and the design and interior are custom-made with this in mind. It will provide more room for our homemade production and more seating and a spacious outdoor terrace for our customers. We also want to be a quality food supplier for the new neighbourhood, offering rapid meal delivery from our bistro and bakery to homes and offices. Vydrica residents will also be able to take advantage of our personal shopper service. The personal shoppers will get to know their customers perfectly and do their shopping for them according to their specific preferences.
The craft of baking is experiencing a renaissance, as seen by the artisanal bakeries in each of your establishments. What makes your bakery products unique?
Freshness is synonymous with our bakery products. Even our smallest stores have their own bakeries, which makes us unique in Slovakia. We prepare our bakery products just a few hours before putting them in the oven. We only use basic fresh ingredients from authentic farms, with no added preservatives or stabilisers. Our traditional sourdough bread contains just three ingredients, our rolls contain six. Some bakery products sold in other supermarkets contain more than forty. That says it all. So, the future residents of Vydrica will always have freshly baked goods right under their noses.
YEME also comes with its own bistro, fresh bar and butcher’s shop. What do they offer?
When it comes to meat, we care very much about where it comes from and how fresh it is. The farms that supply us with whole cuts of meat are very well known to us. We process them ourselves and use them to make meat or deli products. So we know exactly what we are selling and can guarantee the quality of our products. The meat is delivered to our stores every day and goes straight to the shelves. It means it’s completely fresh and does not require any stabilisers. Our bistros and fresh bars serve freshly cooked meals, wholesome breakfasts and healthy lunches. They are prepared by our chef from the ingredients we sell in the store. We focus on seasonal specialties and healthy eating. We look to broaden our customers horizons about how to cook the food they buy from us and we provide recipes to cook at home.
You say you only sell what you believe in and encourage people to think more about what they eat. Why?
We believe in the high-quality food products made in Slovakia. We believe in local food that does not travel over long distances and therefore does not have an excessive footprint as regards the environment and nature.
We believe in quality in the sense of preserving the power of nature in our food products. That’s why we work directly with producers and farmers to guarantee the quality of the goods we sell. We are committed to searching for suppliers who believe in the same values and principles as us. I don’t see quality food as a luxury, I see it as the basis for a healthy and quality life. I am sure we will also find like-minded customers in Vydrica.
