In July 2017, Rick Jardiolin and Cookie Jo Carbone had a vision for creating eco-friendly resort bags. After a trip to the Philippines, where weaving natural materials is an age-old tradition, the idea for a partnership was born. This month, their company Buri and Beach will launch online, offering a variety of hand-woven, eco-friendly resort bags.
Jardiolin and Carbone visited Samar Island in the Philippines in July. There they found a community that is still recovering from Typhoon Yolanda, the deadliest recorded typhoon in the history of the Philippines. Since Yolanda in 2013, the community has been working to rebuild their lives, homes and communities. The purchase of the bags woven by the women in the area directly supports the rebuilding efforts.
Jardiolin has a background in retail, and Carbone has a background in graphics, styling and interior decorating. They work together to design the styles and patterns of the bags. The designs are then sent on the weavers in the Philippines who use natural fibers like palm leaves and wild sea grass to create the bags. Although the bags are made in the Philippines, the rest of the company is Columbus based. Buri and Beach’s website is built by a local Columbus company, and their labels and tags are printed in Columbus as well.
Once the company officially launches later this month, orders can be placed on their website buriandbeach.com.