Interview with Yusuf Tekdemir (YT Shisha Company)

  Good day to all, friends! Today we will get acquainted with the Yusuf – founder of YT Shisha company.  

What was the starting point for creating YT Shisha, and what role did Turkish traditions play in this process?

Our company was founded by my grandfather in 1967. In those years, my grandfather was a skilled craftsman using handmade machines. He produced souvenirs for tourist markets. By responding to the demand from these tourist markets, he became the first person in Türkiye to produce hookahs.

What was the key turning point in the company’s development?

After my grandfather, my father took over the business. I worked with him from a young age and learned the trade from him. By the time I was 19, I wanted to create new products. My father, due to his age, preferred a calmer approach to the business. He believed that buying and selling ready-made products was less tiring than producing my own. He prevented me from creating new models. With my father’s permission, I took over production with the money I had saved until I was 19. I improved our production machines and started producing new models. It was 2017. In today’s money, my capital was approximately fifteen thousand dollars. I’m telling you about my turning point. You’ll be surprised when you read this. I created a groundbreaking system in the hookah world. Normally, a hookah body has a ball valve on its outer surface. The smoke is expelled through this ball valve. For the first time in the world, I hid the ball valve inside the hookah body. I drilled holes in the hookah body in the geometric shapes I wanted. This way, I managed to expel the smoke. I obtained a patent for this system in 2017. Not for the model, but for the system itself. A system not found in any other hookah in the world. You can examine this on the official website of the Turkish Patent Office under file number 2017/17684. I did not abuse this right. I gave permission to everyone who used this system. Only one company… Only one company in Türkiye copied my models. I sued them. The police confiscated all the hookah sets in their shops. Not only copies of my models, but all hookahs containing this system were confiscated. I also won monetary compensation. The system, developed 9 years ago, is now used worldwide. The summary of my patent is as follows: a ball-bearing mechanism is concealed inside the hookah body. The hookah body is then perforated with holes of any geometric shape from 1 to infinity, through which smoke is expelled.

What technologies or materials do you consider to be your main competitive advantage?

I believe owning both steel and brass hookah factories gives me a competitive advantage. Competition is a good thing for me. I’m very happy when I see a company that comes up with better ideas than me. I gain ideas. I think about how I can do better. I strive for that. The Russians have greatly improved our industry. We used to draw with pen and paper. They brought engineering. We shouldn’t forget the Germans either. Until the 2000s, we were only selling brass hookah sets to Europe. In the 2015s, they started producing aluminum hookahs with machine manufacturing, and then steel hookahs. Before that, there were only brass hookah sets in the world!

How important is it for you to maintain an artisanal approach in the era of mass production?

In our brass hookah workshop, all products are handmade. Two of our current masters have known me since I was a baby. They’ve been working with us for about 25 years, since my grandfather’s time. By the way, I’m 28 years old. We’re trying to train new masters; it’s hard to find people to teach the trade to. Of course, a new team is also coming in. With 8 people, we barely produce 1750 hookahs a month. In machine production, we can easily produce 6000 steel hookahs with 8 machines. Despite all these difficulties, we work and strive to keep our tradition alive.

How does Turkish hookah culture differ from Middle Eastern or European hookah culture?

They have a more advanced culture and technology compared to the Middle East. Turks consume more traditional flavors like double apple, cappuccino, and grape. They also prefer these in the brass hookah sets we produce. This is because a more intense tobacco flavor can be obtained in these sets. Darker tobaccos could be tried in these sets. I’ve started thinking about this recently. I even had Mr. Stan try a dark tobacco in a brass hookah set at the Dubai fair. If we had had the chance to try it a few times, the result could have been very good. Because the aroma leaves a trace in the hookah set with each use. I’ve strayed a bit from the topic. There is a similar consumption in the Middle East as well. Flavors like anise and grape are dominant, followed by lemon, gum, etc. However, these are much older and lower-performing sets. They don’t have a closed chamber system. I can’t say that the whole Middle East is like this; I’m generalizing a bit. There are also Middle Eastern countries that are very advanced in terms of hookah set technology. That’s why we participated in the Dubai fair. Fortunately, we were met with great interest. We have a dominant position in the European and Asian markets. We hope to leave a positive mark in the Middle East with our products. If we compare ourselves to European culture, we were far behind Europe until two years ago. But now we have advanced technologically. As I mentioned in previous questions, previously only brass hookah sets were available. Europe first switched to aluminum hookahs, then to steel hookahs. We were a little late. When Europe switched to steel, we switched to aluminum. Now we have also switched to steel and we are good at brass sets as well. In addition, we have started to produce premium products. The number of quality manufacturers in our country has increased. We have many world brands such as mr.eds, mr.wood, o duman, and it continues to grow.

What elements of tradition do you consciously incorporate into modern products?

I tried to learn from my grandfather his aesthetic sense and his ability to create designs that evoke a sense of wholeness at first glance. I try to apply this in my models. At the same time, my hookahs have old, historical hand-carved designs.

How would you assess interest in Turkish hookahs on the global market today?

Not bad. We need to do better. That’s in the hands of us, the manufacturers. We are working towards a better future. Our company has a slogan: For The Better YT shisha.

Which countries or regions do you consider to be priorities for growth?

We don’t have a priority region. We want to be stronger in every region. If we had to specify a priority; compared to Europe and Asia, we are weaker in the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East markets, and we might want to strengthen these areas first.

In your experience, how much does participation in international exhibitions affect brand recognition?

This was our first time participating in an international trade fair. We’re a company founded in 1967. We were very late in doing this. It was a very valuable step in terms of brand awareness. You can produce great things, but if you don’t introduce them to the right audience, they won’t have much value. You’re alongside global companies. Your competitiveness will increase, and that will propel you forward.

Do you consider strategic partnerships and sponsorship of professional events to be a tool for strengthening your global presence?

I agree. I support all kinds of advertising. Sometimes even an Instagram post can bring you quality customers. Sometimes it’s the box design of a simple product… Thank you very much to all our readers for your time. I hope we’ll be together again in better days. Goodbye. Yusuf Tekdemir, Founder of YT Shisha.

Yusuf, thank you for this interview and for answering all our questions in detail. I think our readers will be very interested to learn about a brand that combines tradition with a modern approach to business.

Thank you, it was a great experience.