SUBACO (Suriname Bamboo Company) is a vertically integrated bamboo agro-industrial company based in Suriname. We cultivate, process, and commercialise bamboo across four product lines: engineered construction materials, biomass energy, biochar, and verified carbon credits.

№ 01 — Our Story

Simply because we
love Suriname.

Q: Why bamboo, and why Suriname?

Suriname has ideal growing conditions for Guadua bamboo — the strongest bamboo species — with rich tropical soils, high rainfall, and a strategic location connecting South America and the Caribbean. Bamboo grows faster than any tree, sequesters carbon at scale, and produces multiple high-value outputs simultaneously, making it one of the most efficient green crops on Earth.

Q: What products will SUBACO produce?

SUBACO produces four main product lines from a single bamboo forest: (1) Engineered construction materials including panels, beams, and prefab housing components; (2) Biomass energy up to 12.5 MW of clean electricity; (3) Biochar for regenerative agriculture and carbon capture; and (4) Verified carbon credits aligned with international standards for ESG investors.

It began with our forests — the heart of our land. From that love grew an idea. An idea to protect, to renew, and to build a sustainable future.

That idea became The Suriname Bamboo Company — SUBACO. A vertically integrated bamboo agro-industrial platform that turns one of the world’s fastest-growing renewable resources into engineered building materials, clean energy, and climate-positive products.

We do not exploit the rainforest. We regenerate degraded land, protect watersheds, and build a circular industry rooted in stewardship — for Suriname, for the Caribbean, for the planet.

SUBACO is structured to deliver four outputs from a single hectare: engineered timber, biomass energy, biochar, and verified carbon credits — diversifying revenue and de-risking the cycle.

№ 02 — Founder Vision

Leadership behind
the vision.

Two founders, one mission: prove that Suriname — forest-rich, carbon-negative — can lead the world in regenerative bamboo.

Joy S.R.
Ramlakhan

Founder & CEO
· SUBACO

Experienced Surinamese entrepreneur with over 25 years in hospitality, retail, agribusiness, and management. As Founder & CEO of SUBACO, Joy leads the company’s strategic and operational direction, driving growth in sustainable development and agricultural ventures.

Business operations & entrepreneurship — 25+ years building and running enterprises across Suriname.
Agribusiness & sustainability — direct experience scaling agricultural ventures with a sustainability lens.
Financial management & controls — deep enterprise finance, budgeting, and investor-grade governance.
Strategic & team leadership — sets direction, builds teams, and delivers across hospitality, retail, and agriculture.

Femia M. Wesenhagen, MSc., Co-founder of SUBACO Suriname Bamboo Company

Femia M.
WesenhagenMSc · PhD candidate

Co-Founder
· Chief Bamboo Officer

For over a decade, Femia carried a single idea: that Suriname — one of the most forest-rich, carbon-negative countries on Earth — could become a global leader in bamboo. Today she is Lead Advisor at Suriname’s Ministry of Spatial Planning & Environment, and Chief Bamboo Officer at SUBACO.

Lead Advisor — Ministry of Spatial Planning & Environment, Suriname (2020–present).
National strategy author — authored Suriname’s National Physical Development Plan (UNDP-funded).
Urban design & landscape — Paramaribo Waterfront, Anton de Kom Campus, Kensington Estate (Guyana), Tobago Master Plan.
International recognition — Certificate of Excellence, CSIBER India, for applied environmental research (Nov 2024).

NPO Documentary Journal Acknowledgement

№ 03 — Films

Stories from the
forest.

A path through a Surinamese bamboo grove

Suriname's bamboo economy — opening frame

1:37

SUBACO

SUBACO StudioProduct film

Can one plant reshape the global economy?

A ninety-second animated explainer on how a single hectare of Guadua bamboo becomes engineered timber, biomass energy, biochar, and verified carbon credits.

Request the full screener

Lindsey — NPO documentary on bamboo architecture in Suriname

NPO Start

NPO

NPO · broadcastBamboo in Suriname

A hospital, built of bamboo.

Dutch public broadcaster NPO follows Architect Lindsay to Suriname, where she designs a hospital for an indigenous village — in partnership with the community — and meets our co-founder Femia Wesenhagen, who is scaling the material she builds with: Surinamese bamboo.

Watch on NPO ↗

2:49

SUBACO

SUBACO StudioWhy Suriname

A country that’s ready.

On the ground in Suriname — with the indigenous communities, the government, and the partner organizations whose alignment makes this platform possible. The country context behind the numbers.

Why Suriname →

№ 04 — Why Surinamese Bamboo?

Guadua, against
the field.

Suriname’s native Guadua bamboo matures faster, weighs more, and yields nearly twice as much per hectare as the Moso strain that dominates the Asian market.

Attribute	Guadua — Suriname	Moso — Asia
Growth time	2–4 years	5–6 years
Density	800 kg/m³	600 kg/m³
Annual yield	44.5 t/ha	25 t/ha
Stalk thickness	up to 25 cm	up to 20 cm
Mechanical strength	Higher	Standard

№ 05 — The Suriname Advantage

Geography is the
moat.

Land, climate, position, and policy — four conditions converge in Suriname that simply do not exist elsewhere in the bamboo market.

01 / Location

Strategic position

48–72 hours to Caribbean markets. Weeks faster than Asia-sourced bamboo, with direct sea routes to North America.

02 / Climate

Perfect growing conditions

Carbon-negative country. Rich soils. Ample rainfall. Ideal climate for premium bamboo cultivation year-round.

03 / Market

Regional leader

Pioneer in scientific development and production of strand-woven bamboo construction materials in the Caribbean.

04 / Vision

Sustainable by design

Transform Suriname’s forest resources into global products while protecting the environment that grew them.

№ 06 — What we build

One forest.
Four outputs.

A single hectare of Guadua bamboo, processed through SUBACO’s integrated facility, yields four distinct revenue streams — and leaves the soil better than it found it.

Engineered
construction material

01

Strand-woven bamboo flooring
Prefab bamboo houses
Mid-rise bamboo buildings & panels

Biomass
energy

02

Clean energy from bamboo biomass
Up to 12.5 MW planned capacity
Plant ash converted to activated biochar

Biochar

03

Carbon capture & long-term storage
Reduced N₂O and methane soil emissions
Soil amendment for regenerative agriculture

Carbon
credits

04

Verified CO₂ sequestration
Independent baseline study underway
Corporate ESG aligned

Product ecosystem

Single feedstock · four outputs · zero landfill

Bamboo Suriname — Guadua bamboo flow diagram: cultivation across Suriname feeding flooring & panels, biomass energy, biochar, carbon credits, and prefab eco-housing, with USA, Canada, Europe and Caribbean export markets

№ 07 — Project gallery

From land to
laboratory.

Selective clearing of invasive species only. Native forest preserved. Tissue-culture lab under construction. The project, as it is built.

Bamboo forest in Suriname — SUBACO plantation site — 01 · Tibiti — site survey

SUBACO bamboo harvesting operations in Suriname — 02 · ATV access tracks

SUBACO bamboo processing facility — 03 · Field briefing

Sustainable bamboo construction materials by SUBACO — 04 · Biomass strategy

SUBACO bamboo plantation field view — 05 · Cohort survey, Tibiti

SUBACO team at bamboo forest site in Suriname — 06 · Stakeholder review

Engineered bamboo timber products — SUBACO — 07 · Carbon framework

Bamboo biomass energy production in Suriname — 08 · Guadua canopy

№ 08 — Impact metrics

Environmental
& financial impact.

Carbon, conversion, capital. The numbers we are organised around — and the numbers we will report against.

4,000+ Hectares · land

Under bamboo cultivation and active expansion across Suriname’s coastal plain.

~17t CO₂e/ha·yr Indicative ARR flux

Net of 15% buffer pool. Verra VM0047 (ARR) methodology; baseline & MRV validation in progress. First vintage 2030.

100% Waste conversion

Zero landfill. Every stalk becomes structural timber, energy, or biochar.

№ 08.1 — Our contribution to the world

Thirteen goals.
One forest.
A measurable answer.

The United Nations set seventeen Sustainable Development Goals for the world to deliver by 2030. SUBACO maps to thirteen of them — not as a marketing exercise, but as the operating system of the platform.

Goals aligned13 / 17

ReportingAnnual, 2027+

StandardGRI · UNGC

“Frameworks describe the destination. Forests get you there.”

№ 09 — Ways to invest

Invest in bamboo,
support Suriname.

Partner with the Suriname Bamboo Company — help us build a new regenerative industry, create local jobs, and shape a sustainable future for Suriname.

/ 01 — Bond

Bamboo Bond

Secured Green Bond

A senior-secured green bond instrument, structured to finance plantation growth and processing build-out. Targeted issuance Q4 2026, with stapled carbon-credit upside.

“As the bamboo grows, your investment grows.”

In structuring · Q4 2026 bamboobond.com

/ 02 — Partnership

Land
partnership

Contribute land · build together

Contribute your land — we develop it together for a better future of Suriname. A community-rooted partnership for landowners who want to help build this industry, not just finance it.

“Your land. Our craft. Suriname’s future.”

Open · By introduction Email us

№ 10 — Partners & validation

Validated by
those who’ve done it.

Engineering advisors, scientific reviewers, environmental assessment specialists, and capital partners aligned around the same mission.

Engineering & technical Scientific & academic Capital & markets Institutional

№ 11 — Project support team

The bench
behind the build.

Engineering, scientific review, environmental assessment, and capital markets — the advisory team that turns a vision into bankable delivery.

Barry Mohammed

CEO · ALVAIR Ltd

Engineering & technical due diligence
Structural review of the SUBACO platform
Infrastructure & build-out advisory

↗

Angelika Namdar, MSc.

Scientific Reviewer · Anton de Kom University

Independent scientific review
Bamboo biology & agronomy
Research – academia liaison

↗

Joal S. Ramlakhan

PR & Marketing · Suriname Bamboo Company

Public relations & brand
External communications
Media outreach

Gwendolyn Smith, PhD

Founder & Chair · Green Growth Suriname

Tissue culture specialist
ESIA lead (Environmental & Social Impact Assessment)
Sustainable agriculture R&D

↗

Lindsay Goossens

Co-founder & Secretary · Green Growth Suriname

Stakeholder Specialist
International standards & compliance
Environmental policy

↗

№ 12 — Milestones

Recent progress.

The platform, as it is being assembled — lab, land, framework, and a country-stage moment at the Suriname Energy, Oil & Gas Summit.

Milestone 01 · 2026 Q2 Underway

Tissue-culture
laboratory

Lab construction underway at the SUBACO site, with technical lead from Green Growth Suriname. Operational target Q3 2026.

Milestone 02 · 2026 Q2–Q3 Live

Tibiti site
preparation

Selective clearing of invasive species only — native forest preserved. Low-impact ATV access tracks under 3 m wide. Soil regenerative by design.

Milestone 03 · 2026–27 In structuring

Carbon credit
framework

Pre-feasibility study under preparation. International voluntary and Article 6.2 pathways under assessment. Bankable issuance targeted from Phase 3+.

Milestone 04 · 23–26 June 2026 Country stage

SEOGS 2026
country‑stage debut

SUBACO takes the country stage at the Suriname Energy, Oil & Gas Summit — 36 m² booth + speaking slot on the carbon-credit pathway.

№ 14 — Journal

Building the future
with bamboo.

Field notes, market analysis, and dispatches from the SUBACO platform — written for partners, investors, and the curious.

Market · DemandMay 2026 · 6 min

The growing global demand for sustainable materials

Why corporate procurement is shifting from carbon-intensive timber and steel toward verified low-carbon alternatives.

Why Suriname is perfectly positioned for a bamboo industry

Land, latitude, and identity — the three structural reasons Suriname is the right home for the next generation of bamboo.

Why bamboo could shape the future of sustainable construction

Strand-woven Guadua versus steel and concrete: tensile strength, embodied carbon, and the path to mid-rise.

Growing Suriname.

We started with one question: how do we give back to the country that gave us bamboo? Five answers shape everything we build.

Local Surinamese community working with bamboo — harvesters, weavers, and children in front of a Suriname map — From plantation to people Built with the country, for the country.

Jobs

Creating 1,000+ local jobs across rural Para district communities.

Infrastructure

Building roads, schools, and housing for neighbouring villages.

Community

Partnering with local businesses to grow new bamboo-based enterprises.

Energy

Supplying clean renewable electricity to Suriname's national grid.

Education

Co-developing training & internship programmes with Suriname's universities.

№ 15 — FAQ

Frequently asked.

Q.01What is SUBACO?

SUBACO (Suriname Bamboo Company) is a sustainability-focused company building a modern bamboo industry in Suriname. Our mission is to cultivate, process, and transform bamboo into high-quality products, renewable materials, and long-term economic opportunities for Suriname and its people.

Q.02Why bamboo, and why Suriname?

Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing renewable resources in the world. It absorbs large amounts of carbon, regenerates naturally, and can replace less sustainable materials in construction, energy, and manufacturing. Suriname offers ideal natural conditions for bamboo cultivation — fertile land, abundant rainfall, and rich biodiversity. Combined with the country’s strong environmental identity and strategic location, Suriname has the potential to become a global leader in sustainable bamboo production.

Q.03What products will SUBACO produce?

SUBACO plans to develop a wide range of bamboo-based products, including:

Engineered construction materials
Bamboo panels and boards
Furniture and interior products
Biomass and renewable energy solutions
Biochar and agricultural products
Industrial bamboo applications

The goal is to create sustainable alternatives that serve both local and international markets.

Q.04Is SUBACO investable today?

SUBACO is currently focused on building the foundation of its operations, partnerships, and long-term infrastructure. Investment opportunities are opening across three pathways — operational equity, the Bamboo Bond, and forward carbon credit offtake. Interested partners are encouraged to request the investor brief.

Q.05How does SUBACO ensure environmental responsibility?

Environmental responsibility is central to SUBACO’s vision. We commit to sustainable cultivation practices, responsible land management, carbon-conscious production, and long-term ecosystem protection. By promoting renewable bamboo solutions, SUBACO aims to reduce environmental impact while supporting economic growth and local communities in Suriname.

Simply because welove Suriname.

Leadership behindthe vision.

Joy S.R.Ramlakhan

Femia M.WesenhagenMSc · PhD candidate

Stories from theforest.