What is Boraan?
Boraan (Khmer: បុរាណ) translates to "ancestral" or "traditional" and reflects our commitment to offering high quality, handcrafted Cambodian products because: Cambodia has a lot to offer. Once a powerful advanced civilization, many of the crafts and traditions are being practiced today just as they were hundreds of years ago. We want to support especially small local (family) businesses and we place great importance on ensuring that our producers are fairly compensated for their work.
I am Bernhard, I'm from Austria and I did my civil service in a children's village in Cambodia a few years ago. This experience had a great impact on me and I came to know and appreciate the country and its overwhelmingly hospitable, warm-hearted inhabitants. Since then, I have been commuting between Cambodia and my home in Vorarlberg, Austria, where I work in the family business. So far, I have spent more than two years of my life in Cambodia.
My good friend Bunthol is a native Cambodian, comes from a very simple background himself and has an impressive life story. His career started as a harvest worker on a farm in the countryside, when he came to the capital Phnom Penh he literally worked his way up from washing dishes in a big hotel to several director and management positions within a short period of time. He is an extremely positive and dedicated person, learned English fluently through his open-hearted nature in contact with people from all over the world.
Together we have experienced a lot, developed many ideas and brought Boraan to life. In the future we want to offer more products (coffee, silk,...). Our guiding principles are clear: quality, sustainability, adding value locally and maintaining traditional crafts. With Boraan, we hope to create the framework for further social engagement in Cambodia in the future.