A short history
Ulmus began in the early summer of 2018, when fervent home-baker Yoeri Joosten decided to rent out a small space in the attic of Espressofabriek in Westerpark, Amsterdam. For years he had been baking sourdough bread at home, taking every scrap of information and every idea he could find, continually refining his knowledge and process. With the new bakery space available to him, he started getting his first wholesale customers who helped him build things up from scratch.
A year later, wanting to sell his bakes at the Sunday Market in Westerpark, Elin de Jong joined him to complement the table with the most amazing pastries. Elin had worked in bakeries since she was 16 years old and couldn’t wait to finally bake and develop all the flavors she had always dreamed of.
During the short year at the market they developed some of their much loved products and met some of the lovely customers who still seek out our bakery on a weekly basis today.
Early 2020, with the pandemic still feeling as some distant sound, they decided to look for their own bakery and shop space. Under the pressure of losing all of their revenue when all went into lockdown, a webshop was quickly launched, offering pickup and delivery options throughout Amsterdam. Great success and appreciation followed and when at the end of the year they launched their crowdfunding campaign to fund their very own bakery shop, the goal was achieved within 10 days, launching into a new exciting phase!
Ulmus is the result of our ambition to wake up the senses and the wish to add something meaningful and fulfilling to our fast changing world. To reach out and connect pieces of our sometimes distant society by offering something human, something natural. A bridge that connects us all.
There’s a great fulfillment we experience by sharing our food with each other. This could be a conversation we have with the miller regarding next week’s weather forecast, the discussion we have at the bakery when we try out a new recipe or the feedback we get from all of our customers who in turn might’ve shared their food with friends and family. Sometimes words are not needed at all.
By using sourdough fermentation as a means to proof the dough, we create a more healthy and delicious bread. Using just flour, water and salt are all you need for the most amazing loaves. The paradox of making something so complex from such simple ingredients inspires and motivates us every day to stay curious.
The process of sourdough takes time. Nature cannot be rushed. And it is because of the time consuming nature that when we sell out, we cannot simply make more. It is time however, that makes things worthwhile and we believe that becomes very tangible in experiencing our products.
With great excitement we look forward to see, smell and taste the results of the hours of love and labor we put into our products.
Sustainability
Climate, agriculture and geology are subjects that are hard to truly understand without having a specialized degree in them. It is not hard however to see the sense in gathering ingredients from local producers with sustainable agendas, minimizing climate impact and sustaining local economies. We do not choose these ingredients because they are the most exclusive, the most exotic or the most complex on the market. Instead we choose ingredients that connects us to each other and the land upon which we live. We have found there’s an abundance of potential to be found underneath our very own feet.
We source local wherever we can to promote transparency, support local economies and of course reduce carbon emission. Even though “local” may be interpreted in many ways, our overarching argument is always to minimize impact. In that sense biodynamic pumpkin seeds from Germany, may be a more logical choice than conventional or even organic pumpkin seeds from the Netherlands.
Sourcing local also means working with the seasons. We adapt our menu to whatever is readily available at any given time. We keep our products simple and understandable, celebrating the flavor integrity of our ingredients.