Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryan McClelland.
Hi Bryan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My journey as a social entrepreneur started, in part, due to the fact that I am half Filipino and half American. Growing up on the East Coast of the US and going back and forth to visit the Philippines allowed me to experience very different cultures and opportunities.
Initially, I had always wanted to be a doctor. But in college, I realized that I would much rather spend my time outdoors working on issues dealing with sustainability. Thus, I pursued an undergraduate and master’s degree in environmental resource management.
After my studies, I moved to the Philippines to work on sustainable community development projects. When I learned about another initiative that was building bamboo bikes in Africa, I thought that I could bring this technology into the communities that I was working with. So, two years later in 2009, we built our first prototype. Bambike was founded in 2010 and we have been building bamboo bikes ever since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I thought, just as many other business owners who are getting started naïvely do, that things would go just as I had written down in my business plan. We were going to go into a rural village, teach people how to build bamboo bike frames, and then sell large quantities of them all across the world in just about a year or so. It all looked really nice on paper.
Firstly, there was a language barrier. I didn’t speak Filipino, and my builders didn’t speak English. I figured that the fastest way to be able to work within the community was to learn their language. After a lot of hand signs, head-scratching, and confused looks albeit with a smile, we were able to make some progress.
Manufacturing was another story. We were able to build successful prototypes. Some held up better than others. Each one taught us a lot about the natural materials, different geometries, and how the small changes that we made affected the performance of the bikes. It took a couple of years of trial and error before we were able to build bikes consistently that met the international road and mountain bike standards.
Having built hundreds of iterations of bamboo bikes, each with incremental improvements, we have come up with a fleet of bamboo bikes that can handle whatever you can throw at them.
Our experimentation and technological innovation have brought us to use engineered bamboo components for consistent performance and durability. Our bike frame geometries exploit the strength and flexibility inherent in the bamboo material.
Now we’re working to expand our global distribution with our eye on South Carolina. Currently, we offer free FedEx International Priority shipping on our complete builds and Bambike frames.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Bambike is a socio-ecological enterprise based in the Philippines that hand-makes bamboo bicycles with fair-trade labor and sustainable building practices. Our bamboo bike builders (aka Bambuilders) come from Gawad Kalinga, a Philippine-based community development organization for the poor, working to bring an end to poverty. We have programs that include scholarships, sponsoring a preschool teacher, and a weekly feeding program for children, as well as a bamboo nursery for reforestation. Bambike is a company that is interested in helping out people and the planet, dedicated to social and environmental stewardship. Our goal is to do better business and to make the greenest bikes on the planet.
Our mission is to build the greenest products on the planet while creating jobs for some of the people that need them the most.
Bambike Revolution Cycles promotes inclusive growth and social welfare for all of our stakeholders. We support the advocacy of Gawad Kalinga, a Philippine based community development organization that aims to end poverty by restoring the dignity of the poor. This is done at Bambike by employing rural villagers, providing full-time and fair-trade work opportunities, and using environmentally responsible manufacturing techniques. Bambike is dedicated to growing the green economy and to sustainable livelihood development.
Now, to help combat climate change and improve the environment around us, we are planting one bamboo seedling for every Bambike we sell.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Choose a path that really calls to you. There will be times when you’ll have to dig really deep to keep ongoing. By working on a business or project that has a higher purpose, you will be able to Draw on inspiration and energy that you would otherwise not have if you were not deeply interested in your pursuits.
Take the time to really get to know yourself and what drives you. Explore your curiosity to better understand what it is that really makes you tick. Don’t be afraid to try out different things or to ask for advice or help if you need it.
Seek out like-minded people to join you in your endeavor. Building a team, joining a community, and working with people that share your values will set you up for success.
Pricing:
- Luntian 2.0 All Terrain: $2,399, Free Shipping
- Victoria 2.0 Touring: $2,189, Free Shipping
- Bambino Bolt: $399, Free Shipping
- Ligtasin Cove 2.0: $2,499, Free Shipping
Contact Info:
- Email: info@bambike.com
- Website: www.bambike.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bambryan
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bambike
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BambikeTV
- Other: www.instagram.com/bambike
Image Credits
Bryan Benitez
