Stem to Strip

The bamboo stems are sawn - lengthways - into strips. The outer green skin of the bamboo is removed by a special planer. The strips can be boiled (steamed) so that the sugars burn off and the material turns a caramel-brown colour. By using a shorter boiling time, a light brown colour is created, called khaki. So, in addition to the natural (white – yellow) colour, there are 2 other colours: khaki and caramel.
After drying the strips are planed again.