About Guadua Bamboo Costa Rica

Before I was introduced into the world of bamboo I studied at the Art Academy in Antwerp, worked as a welder and owned a bar from my 23rd until my 28th.

After selling my business in Belgium and announcing to friends and family I would relocate to Costa Rica to follow my next dream, many of them laughed and assured me that adventure wouldn't last for more than a few months. More than 7 years later though I'm still here, and never looked back.

When I first moved to Costa Rica in 2004, I started an antique furniture import business, which in retrospect would completely change my life. I vividly remember the day early in 2006 when one of my sales representatives from Colombia coincidently introduced me to Guadua bamboo by suggesting to diversify our furniture offering with exotic bamboo furniture designs. Back then, I didn't even know such giant bamboos existed!

I went home, Googled the word "guadua" and that's how the journey began.

"There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened."

- Mary Kay Ash

After some initial research, bamboo had me in a mental grip. How was it possible that I had never heard of this incredible natural resource? Why aren't there more people and businesses involved with this giant "grass"?

This led to the start up of Guadua Bamboo Costa Rica in 2007. I created this website with the objective to sell bamboo furniture for the local market. With my background in arts and construction the step toward designing furniture and having them manufactured by local artisans was made. Interior designers included our bamboo into their furniture packages and the business was off to a good start.

Furniture, however, wasn't my only interest, there were so much more aspects about bamboo that needed to be covered. I continued researching and studying the subject, and published my findings online. Soon the website (with the help of SBI!) started generating thousand hits a day. Questions and inquiries from around the world started to poor in, and that's when I realized I had a huge problem...

Guadua angustifolia doesn't grow native in Costa Rica!

Local furniture makers and constructors rang the alarm bell, reporting me they couldn't find any high quality bamboo poles at reasonable prices. Because of the monopoly of one or two small bamboo plantations, prices rose sky high and quality standards were poor. Without competition or alternatives the future for expanding Guadua Bamboo in Costa Rica where virtually nil.

This is when I met former award winning filmmaker and bamboo fanatic Jan Van Bilsen in 2009. Jan (also from Belgium) and living in Nicaragua since the '80, had discovered the very rare, and massive flowering and seed setting of native Guadua aculeata in Nicaragua. This unique event was an excellent opportunity to brainstorm about reforestation programs and to find potential investors for large scale Guadua Bamboo Plantations in Central America.

Jan Van Bilsen introduced the idea of setting up bamboo nurseries and farms among local communities in Nicaragua in 2008. Two years later, Jan and I were responsible for the fact that bamboo was now, for the first time in Nicaraguan history, recognized by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA) as a high value and sustainable timber resource for export.

Our pioneer work with Guadua cultivation in Nicaragua caught the attention from new start up companies who asked for our help and expertise. Since then various bamboo businesses and forestry brokers have been popping up left and right in Nicaragua.

For me however, it was time to return to Costa Rica and push my own agenda.

Guadua Bamboo Costa Rica is now dedicated to consulting individuals and large international companies who wish to plant bamboo for profit.

We are also involved with educating, training and engaging people to plant Guadua bamboo in Costa Rica.

By promoting the use of Guadua and sharing our technical know how, we aim to create a new, sustainable, eco-friendly and profitable industry for the region, which was previously dominated by deforestation. By offering professional assistance and high quality bamboo planting materials from our nursery in Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, growers and investors now have all the backup they need to set up a successful business.

So there you have it, that's the story so far!

To follow updates on all our activities, please visit our Facebook and/or Twitter page. You can also meet us in person and visit our bamboo nursery in San Miguel de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica. For an appointment, don't hesitate to contact us.

Stéphane Schröder
Founder and President of Guadua Bamboo