About the Bamboo

Posted by Dan Levy on

Bamboo: A story of strength, beauty, and sustainability

Bamboo is better. What will we discover it can do next? Not only can it grow three or four feet in a single day, but bamboo is stronger than maple, has more compressive strength than concrete and the same strength-to-weight ratio as steel.

  All our bamboo is grown organically without the use of any pesticides, fertilizer, chemicals or even any artificial irrigation. Bamboo is harvested without killing the plant. The root system is left in place to begin again with renewed growth. Thus no erosion and no need for artificially irrigated rhizomes to be planted. Note also that our bamboo is not the type of bamboo which is consumed by giant pandas, thus our bamboo is "Panda-safe".

 Bamboo is split and then boiled and/or heated with steam before getting glued into boards. A longer heat/steam process is what creates the caramelized color in the dark boards. There are no colors added. After the boards are made, mineral oil is applied.

Bamboo is Better for the Planet

Replenished from an intricate network of roots, a stalk of bamboo grows to its maximum height of around 80 feet within just two months. After this, it begins to thicken; the walls of each hollow stalk growing harder and denser as its soft internodes convert into fibrous cellulose.

 Although there are over a thousand species of bamboo, only Moso is perfect for manufacturing into our beautiful, durable kitchen products. When it is ready for harvest, organically grown Moso bamboo is cut and carried out of the forest on foot by family farmers. This gentle harvesting method sustains the grove's delicate root system for future growth.

 Bamboo is Better for Animals

Moso bamboo is not part of the Panda's diet or habitat. And because it is durable and attractive, bamboo is also the best alternative to cutting tropical rainforests for their exotic hardwoods. Finally, the gentler cultivation methods (no artificial pesticides, no clear-cutting, and replanting) used to grow bamboo are less disruptive to the birds that naturally make their homes in bamboo groves.

 Bamboo is Better for People

Our network of family-owned farms and specialized production facilities are all located near one another. The close proximity of where our bamboo is grown to where it is used helps build close relationships with lasting economic benefit for everyone involved. It also helps ensure our access to the highest quality raw bamboo.

 Bamboo is Better for Products

Moso bamboo is ready for harvest in 3-5 years, and we use only the hardest part—the lowest 10 feet of each stalk. But nothing goes to waste! While the upper portion is passed on to others for use in lighter-duty products, we use the lower sections in four different ways: vertical grain, flat grain, end grain and "NewBoo."

 While the NewBoo process of heating pulverized bamboo fiber was first developed for use in railroad ties, we've taken it further. Our NewBoo products have the warmth and beauty of hardwood with none of the environmental downsides. Best of all, they have the kind of durability meant to handle a freight train!

 Bamboo is Better for Your Kitchen

Plastic cutting boards have their place, but a showcase isn’t one of them. Our dishwasher-safe bamboo takes the beauty of wood and adds the worry-free use that comes with being able to sterilize your work surface. Not only are our bamboo cutting boards more attractive, but they are gentler on your knives than plastic and easier to clean and maintain than hardwood.

 

 

 

 

 


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