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BAMBUSA: Beautiful, handcrafted and functional gifts
Despite being birthed on the soil of the Cayman Islands, the rich Jamaican blood and enthusiastic, innovative spirit runs deep in the veins of Tricia Williamson, chief executive officer of Bambusa.
Williamson, who came to live in Jamaica at the age of five, has adopted the country as her own and proudly displays her Jamaicanness whenever she discusses the background of her company with customers.
Bambusa has not only served the Jamaican populace but has delivered products to countries like Canada, the United States, and Japan, among others.
The idea of establishing the company Bambusa, which was incorporated in 2018, was inspired by a conversation Williamson had with her late grandfather.
“Before he died, one of the last talks we had a few years back was just [me] asking him, with everything that was going on in the market with plastics ... ‘Dada, what you guys used before unu have plastic straw’, and he just smiled and said bamboo,” she explained.
Bambusa primarily sold bamboo straws as an alternative to the paper straws, and this after the Jamaican Government instituted a ban on the import and manufacture of plastic drinking straws.
“As an entrepreneur coming into business, you have to know that timing is everything and we came in at that right time,” she added.
However, when the coronavirus pandemic hit Jamaica in March 2020, the company was forced to change its focus from its traditional bamboo straws and team up with inventive and creative individuals to diversify its product offerings. This was done to align the company’s collections with its mission to be a sustainably-focused gifting business that produces handcrafted, laser engraved, high-quality corporate gifts and souvenir items.
OVER 30 PRODUCTS
As a digital store, Bambusa now offers more than 30 products on its website, including some of its best-selling items made of cedar wood, such as personalised journals, charcuterie and cutting boards, and picnic baskets with Jamaican proverbs and sayings like ‘One one cocoa full basket’.
Other items include, but are not limited to: leather messenger bags, coasters, wooden tea boxes and coconut bowls.
All items are made in Jamaica as the company continues to partner with local artisans located islandwide who contribute to the make-up of 90 per cent of the products manufactured.
Williamson, who was one of 180 producers exhibiting on day one of the eighth instalment of the ‘Christmas in July’ trade show held on Tuesday at The Jamaica Pegasus, said she has started making Jamaica 60-themed products because it was a major milestone for Jamaica.
She stressed how important it was for customers worldwide, looking to purchase high-quality Jamaican gifts in honour of the nation’s 60th anniversary of independence, to be able to get authentically made products.
“Our gifts at their core, they’re beautiful, handcrafted and functional and we try to tie that with all our gifts so it has some use and is not just a souvenir that you might throw away, but something you can keep and use for life,” she said.
Being Jamaican means everything to Williamson, who noted that it is a part of her “core”.
“I bat for Jamaica all the time because I believe in our brand, I believe that we are the best, and when I see the work that comes out, not just from my team ... it is top quality,” she said.
Williamson urges others to invest in ‘home’ and the Jamaican people as she, too, vows to continue finding new and innovative ways to serve the Jamaican people both local and abroad, while continuing to contribute to brand Jamaica.
“It’s rough as an entrepreneur, as a business, but I think when you tap into that Jamaican brand which is such a huge global brand, you can leverage that and really push your business further and push the country further,” said Williamson.
Source: Jamaica Gleaner [July 21, 2022]
BAMBUSA among 25 SMEs in the 2022 Scotiabank Vision Achiever Programme
The 25 entrepreneurs in the 2022 season of the Scotiabank Vision Achiever programme for small and medium-sized enterprises pose with sponsors and Scotiabankexecutives following the launch of the programme on Wednesday, March 16, at Spanish Court Hotel. | Source: Jamaica Observer
The SVA Programme has helped to develop more than 300 businesses since its inception in 2011 through intricate training and is considered a gift to the budding business society of Jamaica.
This year's cohort of Vision Achievers include: Bambusa, Baruch Distributors Limited, CAA Enterprise, Chemqualco, Chocolate Dreams Limited, Davene Jonas Style, Effit, Jesse's Gifts and Décor, LB Resorts Limited, Likkle Tea, Michelle Thomas and Associates, Midtown Plumbing, Electrical and Tools Supplies, Modern Cooperage and More Limited, NKM Cleaning Services, Notmar Trading Company Limited, Operation Rehab Limited, Royale Pharmacy, Somers Furnishing, SteamHouse Network Limited, STEM Builders Learning Hub Limited, The Art of Motivation, The Bread Pudding Factory, Tornadoes Swim Club, Uncorked 2017 Limited, and Weelkris Trading.
Source: Jamaica Observer
Let’s Travel Caribbean: BAMBUSA: Beautiful gifts, and a purpose…
If you’re late to the game and don’t already know, Bambusa offers exquisite, handcrafted works of art with the modern twist of laser engraving that makes pieces unique, and it’s all built on a concept of sustainability.
Drinking straws, picnic baskets, journals, and much, much more are made in Jamaica from locally sourced material. Bambusa is the go-to source of gifts for every occasion, from Father’s Day to corporate milestones. Their seamless operation, done almost entirely online, makes gifting super easy.
Source: Lets Travel Caribbean
UNITED NATIONS’ UNCTAD Feature
Source: https://unctad.org/news/jamaican-start-shows-potential-plastics-substitutes
Jamaican start-up shows the potential of plastics substitutes…
BAMBUSA has already replaced over 5 million plastic straws with a sustainable bamboo version and is now turning the island’s discarded coconut shells into sustainable kitchenware.
TVJ PRIMETIME NEWS
TVJ’s Prime Time News- The Business Review (December 2019) | Founder of BAMBUSA, Tricia Williamson, talks international trade and plans for 2020 and beyond.
SOMETHING EXTRA | Jamaica Gleaner
Sasheeni Bennett, channel manager at J. Wray and Nephew Limited, shows off her purchase from Bambusa at the Jamaica Rum Festival, Hosted by Appleton Estate.
Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/social/20200309/something-extra-monday#slideshow-2
Exhibitors Hail Christmas In July Trade Show- JIS NEWS
Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (second right) and Chairman of the Tourism Linkages Network Council, Adam Stewart (left), display personalised gifts created by Bambusa Jamaica at the virtual staging of the Christmas in July trade show, held recently at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston. Also photographed are Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, Dr. Carey Wallace (second left); and the Tourism Linkages Network’s Analyst, Productive Sectors, Tisheecka Clarke.
Exhibitors at the recent staging of the Christmas in July trade show in Kingston are thankful that they were given the opportunity to showcase their products, despite the limitations caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The event was held virtually for the first time, in response to the physical distancing measures put in place by the Government to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Locally produced gifts and souvenir items from the categories of fashion and accessories, art and craft, processed foods, aromatherapy and souvenirs, such as desktop items and décor that are available for purchase, adorned the Ball Room at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel on July 23.
Tricia Williamson, Founder of Bambusa Jamaica, a company that produces authentic Jamaican souvenir and personalised gift items, told JIS News that she was happy to participate in the event, although it was missing that deep engagement with customers.
“The experience was different but I’m happy that it took place, because everything helps. As a business, we’ve had to pivot to adjust to the pandemic and how life is changing,” Ms. Williamson said.
“It is important for us to be out there and keep that awareness going. So, I do think that even though the event has gone virtual, it’s still good and I will do it again, ” she added.
Ms. Williamson said that since the trade show, there has been a noticeable uptick in the number of persons who have made queries about her products via social media.
The event was streamed live on the social media pages of all the partner entities, exposing the products to viewers in Jamaica and the diaspora.
With the absence of suppliers and patrons physically, contact information for each supplier was shown on screen or read out by host Christopher “Johnny” Daley, who described each product in an entertaining way throughout the two-hour live stream.
Ms. Williamson indicated that the trade show has become a major event for her company, having now participated in it for the second time.
“Last year was very good. We got a lot of contracts from Christmas in July, which was very helpful, because a lot of the companies and customers got introduced to our brand,” she pointed out.
She said also that it allowed individuals and corporate entities to see the items that were available months in advance, giving them enough time to get themselves prepared, so orders could be placed early.
Source: https://jis.gov.jm/features/exhibitors-hail-christmas-in-july-trade-show/
