Pema Wangmo (པདྨ་དབང་མོ), born in 1994, is the founder of the Yuma Center. After graduating in accounting, she chose to return to her hometown and, in 2025, established her workshop, which is currently based in her family home. Her products revolve around the use of yuma (ཡུང་མ), an edible, medicinal root vegetable that holds a special place in Tibetan diet and everyday culture.
For centuries, yuma has been an essential element of Tibetan life: it has been used as a natural remedy for health problems, to prepare porridge, as animal feed, and even its leaves are cooked in noodles. In the Tibetan community, during times of hardship, when food was scarce, yuma played a crucial role in saving lives. Moreover, Menshod is particularly renowned for growing yuma; it is often said that anyone can recognize the distinctive flavor of yuma from Menshod.
Pema Wangmo was inspired both by the cultural importance of this plant and by the strength of the women in her community, who were the ones who took care of the production of yuma. However, the beginning of her business was not immediately clear in her mind; after graduation, she initially planned to take the entrance examination to become a government employee and spent a year at home studying. That year was life-changing: during that time, she closely observed the women working tirelessly to cultivate and process yuma, often without significant financial return. She also witnessed her mother’s dedication in preparing yuma products as gifts, which were (and still are) nutritious and meaningful offerings shared among families.
That year revealed to her a clear imbalance between the immense labor of these women and the limited income they received. At the same time, she recognized the potential of her mother’s products, which could gain greater value through new presentation and marketing. She began by designing packaging for these yuma gifts. The early stages were difficult; sales were limited, and at times she considered returning to her previous career path and sitting for the government examination. Nevertheless, she chose to embrace the challenges and continued with determination, believing she could “elevate the work to the next level”.
As time passed and she deepened her understanding of yuma, its properties and cultural significance, and she became convinced that tradition could be enriched through innovation. She began developing new products, such as yuma tea, and participated in numerous exhibitions in major cities, like Chengdu and Shanghai. She noticed that at first many people were unfamiliar with yuma. However, once she explained its cultural background and health properties, interest grew quickly, and often customers returned.
Since many of her customers are from Mainland China, she introduces yuma as luóbu (萝卜) xiōngdi (兄弟), “brother”, creating an immediate cultural reference. She explains that it grows in Tibetan areas at around 3,500 meters above sea level and possesses various health benefits. It is widely known as a remedy for altitude sickness, but it can also aid digestion, support women during menstruation, help with sobering up, improve eyesight, and relieve internal heat. Indeed, considering its nutritional qualities, yuma can be regarded as a kind of hidden gold.
As for gold, the “mining” is very demanding: the cultivation process itself occupies most of the year. yuma is planted in March, in May, the fields must be cleaned, and again in July another cleaning is required. In late July, the leaves can be harvested, dried and later eaten directly or used in soups and porridge. In early October, the root is dug up, the plants are gathered, and brought home to separate root and remained leaves. Yuma can be eaten raw and boiled, which is widely consumed as a snack. This snack production involves several stages: drying the raw plant, boiling it thoroughly, separating the liquid, dying it again, and when its half-dried, mixing it with melted butter, brown sugar (optional) and a certain amount of the liquid obtained by the previous separation stage. from Yuma when boiled to make its flavors, But Sugar addition is also optional. Clearly it is a complex and time-intensive process, yet she stays committed to continuing it.
Looking toward the future, the business is gradually growing, confirming that she is able “to bring yuma to the next level”. Last year, she obtained the official certificate known as lüse renzhen (绿色认证) for her work: indeed, since yuma is a naturally grown edible plant belonging to the greenery category, this certification now allows her to sell online. Currently, the Yuma Center operates from her home, but she foresees opening an independent workshop in the future. Above all, she hopes to encourage more women to work, develop their own ideas, and follow their ambitions. If the business continues to grow, she plans to hire more employees, especially women.
Through her personal journey, through the value she gives to the labor of the women in her community, and through her future goals, her work constitutes an example of women empowerment. This vision is symbolically expressed in her self-designed logo: a lotus flower (Pema པདྨ) of which the heart is a woman’s face. This image evokes the idea that women have traditionally been the true experts in producing yuma products and remain the guardians who continue to nurture and sustain this tradition.
