Curating a Sustainable Outdoor Dining Set in Maine with MasayaCo

Why I chose MasayaCo for our outdoor dining set.

I fell in love with this line when I first heard of their seed to seat ethos. Their founder, Aram, had finished a Peace Corps assignment in Nicaragua and seeing the negative impact of abusive forestry practices, Aram knew he wanted to create a socially and environmentally sustainable business. So, he, along with Michael Terry, founded Maderas Sostenibles, a company that would be committed to reforestation & sustainable management of tropical forests.

After several years of establishing tree farms on deforested cow pastures, Maderas Sostenibles founded a production facility in Managua to fabricate furniture and wood products that continuously capture carbon in our everyday lives through furniture. 

In 2014, Aram partnered with Justin Terry, an American artist, and Abril Zepeda, a Nicaraguan designer, to bring an elevated uniqueness to the furniture he had begun to produce. Inspired by the artisanal nature of Masaya and the rich culture and nature found in Nicaragua, MasayaCo was born.

What makes MasayaCo such a special company?

Masaya has truly set the bar high for what sustainable furniture can look like. MasayaCo uses conservation as a fundamental part of their business model, planting hundreds of thousands of trees each year. By annually planting more trees than they harvest, a replenishing cycle is established providing both environmental and economic benefits. So far their designs have planted over 1.2 million trees. Around 40% of the forests they maintain are kept untouched, allowing for carbon capture and for nature and fauna to thrive and be free.

An often-overlooked aspect of reforestation is the positive economic impact a sustainably managed forest has on local communities.  In many poor regions of the world, like Nicaragua, it is vital for locals to gather some economic benefit from their land.  Out of economic necessity, people will often accept a minimal payment and allow their land to be clear-cut for uses like cattle farming. MasayaCo offers an alternative use and business opportunity that is consistent with the natural use, beneficial to the environment, and a better economic model.

How does MasayaCo operate sustainable forestry?

They collect certified seed stock and germinate seedlings on site. Each nursery produces between 50,000 -200,000 seedlings. These are then cultivated over 3-months before being planted. Masaya also donate trees to be planted in parks, riverbanks, public roads and public areas, adding to their ethos as a company with wider reaching impacts. 

Trees are then planted on lands that had previously been harmed by intensive cattle farming. This often happens in the livestock industry when massive boundaries of forest are clear-cut to provide pasture for cattle. Usually, because the land is not suitable for pasture, the pasture use fails in the short term and more forest is clear-cut, creating a domino effect.  Masaya’s business model includes the reforestation of these degraded lands and restoration of the forest, which is the natural use, using harvesting methods that are selective and sustainable.  

They are continuously replanting to sustain the forest and by year two, some of the seedlings are six feet tall and already having an incredible impact on the environment around them.  Sustainably managed forests and tree farms create jobs in forestry as planting and maintaining the forest is continuous. A sustainably managed forest is forever. Earth’s forests are very important to the balance of nature and to the people who live and work in them. MasayaCo as a company are rebuilding the forest around them which is an incredible feat.

When it comes to the wood that they do collect it is graded, trimmed, and air-dried. Biomass, scrap, and other waste are sent to a biomass generator and converted to sustainable energy.

The MasayaCo design ethos and why I loved styling it.

As with everything in our home, I have chosen this set as an investment piece that will never go out of style and has the quality to stand up to our climate here on the coast of Maine. MasayaCo artisans handcraft their renewable wood into timeless designs that are made to last for generations. They are giving good paying jobs to local craftsmen that take pride in their work, and every time I look at our beautiful table set I have a deeper appreciation for it knowing that it was hand-made and came from such an incredible place. This is a slow and thoughtful process of design and I am so incredibly happy to have a bit of it at our home. 

Learn more here.

Shop Cora’s set here.

MasayaCo is also offering incredible eco homes now which we are loving! Find out more here.