Aram first went to Nicaragua in 2002 as U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.  During his Peace Corps assignment, he formed ideas of creating a socially and environmentally sustainable business.  In 2007, Aram and his father, Michael, formed Maderas Sostenibles to establish tree farms on deforested land and process hurricane salvaged hardwoods. Reforestation and wood salvage evolved into furniture production when Aram met his wife, Abril Zepeda, a Nicaraguan designer and artisan from Masaya. Together they launched the furniture brand Masaya & Company. The intention of Masaya & Co is to implement the “Seed to Seat” sustainable business model that both reforests ravaged land and offers unique and beautiful wood products from sustainably managed forests.  Once restored, the devastation of clear cutting is slowly reversed and the vitality of the tropical forest is utilized to produce quality wood products and jobs.

Abril Zepeda grew up in the Nicaraguan town of Masaya, which has a craft and artisan tradition that serves inspiration for our identity.  As a young girl, Abril had the vision to bring the talent and craftsmanship that surrounded her to the world through contemporary modern designs.   Abril’s design vision imprints many of our products, as seen on the colorful woven patterns that grace our modern lounge chairs.  Abril fuses the traditional, artisan techniques she knew growing up in Masaya with elements of modern design.  The result is colorful, warm, handcrafted, and unique contemporary furniture.  Her designs and patterns continue to evolve each day.

Justin, an American artist, joined Masaya & Co in 2015.  Originally from Nashville, TN, Justin has received graduate degrees in both Fine Arts and Art History from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY where he still resides.  In addition to running and developing Masaya & Co on a daily basis, Justin actively produces artwork for sale and exhibition.  You can see some of his paintings here: justinterry.shop

Roger is a second-generation agricultural engineer with family roots in conservation. His father, also a trained agricultural engineer, started a nursery business in Nicaragua that produced over 500,000 plants per year and developed innovative methods of germination. Roger’s work experience includes Nicaragua’s first FSC-certified teak operations, as well as managing tree farms with Norwegian and Canadian groups. Roger brings experienced and pragmatic methods to our tree farms that he learned from childhood, on the job, and in the classroom.

Noel, our Rivas forestry field manager, was born and raised on land he now manages.  Noel’s interest in trees began in 2000 when he started planting teak and other native species for several Swiss and French companies.  Noel and Aram shared the desire to create sustainable business opportunities through the reforestation of degraded pastures and began to work together in 2007.  Noel and his son Bryan manage our tree farms in Rivas and Managua.  Noel knows every square inch of these farms as he prepares the land, grows seedlings, plants, thins, and selectively harvests the newly forested lands.  Noel is proud to have re-established the forest on land he saw devastated by cow farming as child.

Growing up in Leon among a family of builders, Olga, has always had a passion for design.  She brought this passion with her when she started with Maderas Sostenibles as a designer 5 years ago.   Olga, a trained architect, soon became our Director or Production and oversees every aspect of the production line, from raw material to finishes and delivery.  That she works directly with so many aspects of our business including our farm managers, carpenters, and weavers makes Olga integral to the success of our business.  Olga currently lives in Managua with her husband and daughter.

Originally from Managua, Khurland started at our Mill before it was even built, moving teak logs in the yard prior to affording our first forklift.  His dedication and ambition paved the way for his growth.  He progressed to overseeing the mill’s hardwood inventory and later ran the carpenter's workshop.  Here he discovered his true passion for design and decided to pursue an Architecture degree with a focus on Interior Design at University in Managua.  With his degree, he has been running the design team for the last 3 years.  Khurland is a vital part of our team and an example of our promise to foster and promote local Nicaraguan talent.  Khurland lives in Managua and likes to spend his spare time on weekends with his wife and 7 year old son.

Cinthya, a trained Industrial Engineer, has been with our sister company, Maderas Sostenibles, since 2014. Cinthya started as the Safety Coordinator and helped to develop systems and protocols that keep the factory running like a well oiled machine. She formed a committee made up of workers from both production and administration to discuss topics ranging from ergonomics, signage, general factory well being, and problem solving that has resulted in a more efficient and safer workplace. Currently, she oversees all raw material inventory, factory costs, and productivity.

Cinthya recently became the proud new mom of a baby girl, and likes to spend her spare time with family.

Originally from the Czech Republic, Jan immigrated to Nicaragua 5 years ago. Jan’s first passion was in the kitchen and while studying in the United States to be a chef he met his now Nicaraguan wife. Together they moved back to Nicaragua, where Jan discovered a new passion, furniture making. Jan started in the packing department, overseeing all pieces exported out of Nicaragua. He now manages quality control for every item we produce.
Jan still loves to cook in his spare time. He also makes and distributes his own fruit wine, up to 1500 bottles a year!

Ana recently joined the Masaya & Co team as Marketing Director in early 2018. She had spent the last 8 years of her life in San Francisco, California where she worked most recently as Photography Manager for one of the largest design firms in the world. Ana has always had a love and appreciation for the design world. Starting in 2005, she spent 3 years in Paris which really influenced Ana’s taste for design and architecture. She believes good design is rooted in 2 simple principles: simplicity and clarity. Ana brings to Masaya & Co over 5 years of marketing experience and an ability to switch between English and Spanish without even noticing. Ana was born in the United States but raised in Nicaragua by a family that was half American, half Nicaraguan. Ana considers herself bicultural to the fullest extent and lucky to have so many places to call home. Ana currently lives in Managua with her husband. They split their time between the city’s capital and Playa Colorados in Tola.

Brian joined Masaya & Co in May 2018 as Sales Director.  He is a native of Nashville, Tennessee, where he attended Belmont University.  After college, Brian worked in real estate in Nashville and Brooklyn, New York.  All the while, he was busy building and designing furniture. In 2012, Brian moved back to Nashville and started working full-time in furniture design and production.  He currently resides in East Nashville with his wife Emily, their beagle, “Buddy” and their three legged-cat, “Tippy.”  Reach out to Brian at brian@masayacompany.com.

Josias is born and raised in Managua. He graduated from the American College, in Managua, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management for Tourism. Josias has a deep passion for community service. He has spent a lot of his young adult life working and traveling with NGO’s hosting missions that promote social empowerment within different communities around Nicaragua. His NGO work has even taken him to Norway and Kenya. Josias is our Customer Relationship Manager, who is on the front lines with our customers around the world. Aside from working with NGO’s in his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, Sofia, watching movies and relaxing.