Portland, Oregon - bambu® has introduced a first-of-its-kind collection of serving trays, serving boards and drinks coasters made from reclaimed cedar wood.
The cedar wood is reclaimed from 70-year homes in China. Before western building materials were introduced in China in the mid-century, people used the local wood, naturally. Chinese Cedar wood was a common material for the building of homes and other wooden structures. The wood is salvaged, and used most often by local people for small projects.
“We spotted this salvage yard near our two workshops south of Shanghai. It was filled with these beautiful cedar planks. We later tested the wood to make sure it was free of chemicals. Not only that, cedar is naturally resistant to staining, bugs and mold. It was our ‘ah ha’ moment,” remarked Rachel Speth, designer and owner of bambu.
The collection consists of eight (8) serving trays and boards handmade from selected wood. The unique grain of the wooden trays makes each product a one-of-a-kind. The design is inspired by the hexagon, a design reference to the company’s on-going support of honeybees and healthy eco-systems.
The cedar wood trays have been selected and will be showcased in the SustainAbility: Design for a Modern World a curated exhibition in New York in August 2016. Also selected are cedar coasters with two new motifs - a modern, seasonal riff on the peace sign, and a turn-of-the-century bridge.
With roots in Portland, Oregon, since 2003 Bambu has designed, developed and manufactured handcrafted, modern home products made from renewable materials such as bamboo, cork, coconut, hemp, organic cotton, and soy. The company is based in Portland, Oregon with its development and production office in Shanghai, China where it produces more than 100 different products in its own production workshop and partnering facilities, all of which are located close to their raw-materials sources.
Bambu products are sold in more than a dozen countries through diverse retail distribution partnerships in the gift, kitchen, gourmet, grocery and hospitality market segments. The award-winning company is a member of Green America and its Green Business Network earning the highest Gold Level designation, and manufactures using organic sources certified by Ceres, producing the only USDA certified organic eating and cooking utensils. A selection of Bambu’s products is USDA Biobased-certified.
The full range of bambu products can be found online at http://bambuhome.com and at selected retailers around the word including Whole Foods, Eataly, Dean & Deluca, Thrive Market online and more.