The twin brothers were recently interviewed by the local newspaper in the town of Södertälje in connection with the opening of their first ever restaurant there.
“At last we have opened in Södertälje, our hometown. We have spent a lot of time around the world and have traveled and lived in many places, but Södertälje is still home for us,” Ninos George told the reporter.
The sushi chain Sushi Yama was founded in 2008 by the two brothers. Today they have 58 restaurants in Sweden, as well as two in Hamburg, with a third location under development. This year alone, Sushi Yama has opened seven new restaurants, and the one in Södertälje is the company's 60th. But it all started far away from Sweden and Södertälje.
"We love to dive and lived in south east Asia a couple of years where we became sushi enthusiasts", Ninos explained. Once back in Sweden they found that many sushi restaurants had uneven quality when it came to the seafood and boring interiors. They both felt that there was a gap to fill. They opened the doors to their first restaurant in 2008 in central Stockholm.
– We worked super hard and were full of ideas. We had the will. But not many of our restaurant neighbors believed in us. They had even bet amongst themselves on how soon we would have to close down, says Sargon laughing. Today, their first ever restaurant is still open at the same place but many of the neighboring restaurants are gone.
Everything went their way for several years and their chain expanded until the pandemic hit, followed by inflation, and the war in Ukraine. Sushi Yama were forced to apply for financial reconstruction and close 21 of their restaurants. It was a tough period with many sleepless nights, the twins explain. The brothers went all in and continued to work hard and make the necessary adjustments, eventually coming out stronger than ever through the hardships.
With their new restaurant in Södertälje their chain now counts 58 establishments in Sweden. They believe there is room to expand further in the country. They have also started looking at expanding to other parts of Scandinavia and have already three restaurants in Germany.
They maintain a great focus on sustainability in their sushi empire. The chairs in their restaurants are made from recycled plastic bottles, the lamps from recycled aluminum and environmentally certified Swedish birch, the sofas are made of vegan leather produced from bio-based materials, and the packaging used in the business is made up of 80 percent renewable raw materials.
– We have the entrepreneurial mindset in the blood from generations. Our parents have always instilled in us the need to work hard, they worked hard themselves and are principled with strong values, says Ninos George.
Sushi Yama in numbers
- Established in 2008 by the twin brothers
- More than 60 restaurants with most of them across Sweden and new establishements in Hamburg, Germany.
- Turnover in 2025 was 450 million SEK.
- Has circa 400 employees.
- Owned by Ninos and Sargon George together with Litorina Capital Advisers which bought a majority stake in the company in 2020.
The Assyria Post
The Assyria Post
