Bonaire is our home and as a true ocean lover we feel very blessed to be able to live in this little piece of paradise on earth. Bonaire is an unique island, it offers beautiful nature but also a unique cultural heritage.
So when the first ideas of MOANA started, it was clear, we didn't want to start just a regular surf shop, because we firmly believe that doing business on an island like this should be about contributing to your community.
'MOANA is based on the believe that now is the time to protect what we love. Whether you and I share our love for the ocean, for the mountains or for the urban playground, together we need to make a difference so that many generations to come can enjoy these playgrounds even more than we do.
At MOANA we therefore carefully choose only brands that fit this spirit. We offer fair products that support a sustainable, ethical and healthy lifestyle. Step by step we aim to make your conscious choice an easy one.'
Moana's social mission, dd. 28th of March 2017.
So way before we actually opened up the shop, we looked carefully what was existing on the island. We noticed that none of the retail shops, and even other ocean related dive or surf shops, paid attention to sustainability or our community. Unbelievable in these times!
So the obvious decision for MOANA was to only work with high quality brands that actually also do something good for the world. And even though there are higher costs involved in choosing these brands, now in 2022, I am proud to say that almost 100% of the brands in MOANA are doing good for the world in one way or another.
As a result you will find great bigger and smaller brands in MOANA like Vissla, RipCurl, Brunotti, Quicksilver, Roxy, Dkoko, Indosole and more. We offer high quality so products will last longer, and many cool products such as bikini's made out of recycled bottles, the most comfy boardshorts made out of upcycled coconuts, flip-flops made out of old car tires, organic cotton bags made by local entrepreneurs and much more! All products have a story behind them, so feel free to ask!
Sustainable choices in the shop
Besides our brands you'll also see the sustainable choices we have made in the shop.
Did you for example know that the wood in our shop that is on the wall, were actually the crates in which the windows for our building were delivered?
And did you notice that we are one of the only companies in town that have a sustainable wooden street sign instead of plastic?
Besides that, you might have noticed that our old counter was upcycled to two counters, one for each shop, and an old surfboard is now our eye catching lamp.
Giving back to our community
In 2022 our focus is to spread the message and give back to the community. There are many cool initiatives on Bonaire and as a shop we believe we should contribute and help where we can. So of course in the shop we are super-active, but yes....we also do lot's of cool stuff outside the shop!
Bondoet 2022
We kicked off the year 2022 by participating in a project of BonDoet, where we helped to put a new front door in a house of someone that needed it. We worked together with the volunteers of Hofi Kultural and the end result was amazing.
King of the Caribbean
Next up is the windsurf event ' Forsa, King of the Caribbean'. Together with Foundation SocialRun, Forsa and our great windsurf friends Taty Frans and Tonky Frans of the Frans Paradise we are organizing a freestyle and slalom event to support local talent and give local youngsters an opportunity to showcase their talent within all aspects of organizing an event. This event is happening in Easter at the Frans Paradise and we can't wait!
Ambition
Our ambitions are not yet fulfilled, so the coming year we will continue spreading our message of the importance of picking products on Bonaire that last you a long time and are made with care. We will continue to participate in all kinds of ways within our community and will keep you updated through our socials.
Are you curious are would you like to know more? Hop by anytime at the shop. We are located at Kaya Korsow 1 and happy to tell you lot's more about it!