There is no shortage of good products in the global outdoor industry. Each year, outdoor activities account for almost $100Billion in sales. Of that number, women-owned brands account for less than 2% of sales. Black and Brown owned brands account for less than 1% of sales. This is a shocking number considering the rate at which women and people of color participate in outdoor activities. When we started CASA BIKES & OUTDOOR GEAR, we decided to address this problem head on.

CASA BIKES & OUTDOOR GEAR is run by three partners - all of us are people of color, one of us is a woman. We have a combined 35 years of experience in the outdoor industry building our own brands from the ground up. We know firsthand the challenges that these companies face. Even if you come up with an amazing product at a great price, getting it in front of customers is a challenge. Getting onto the shelves of retailers is even harder. We help these companies by featuring their products on our website and at our retail stores - generating sales and brand awareness. As you browse our store, know that you are looking at products that have been carefully curated to meet our high standards of quality and also support this worthy mission of advancing equity in the Outdoors.

When we started this journey, we knew that we needed to be looking in places that the outdoor industry was ignoring. While searching for brands to support, we found a thriving collection of outdoor gear manufacturers in Latin America (primarily Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil). Their factories are making products that are comparable to (if not better than) the products we were used to seeing in the States.

The reason that most customers have not seen these products is because almost all of the outdoor gear sold in the US is made in East Asia. We believe that needs to change. Products made in Latin America are higher quality. They are made more ethically and sustainably. Latin American workers are represented by unions that ensure better working conditions, fair wages, and benefits. Yet surprisingly, products made in Latin American are similarly-priced to products made in Asia. This is because shipping from Latin America costs less than shipping from Asia. Plus, products from Latin America get imported without extra tariffs.

For all of these reasons, many of the companies we work with are based in Latin America. We have also helped US-based brands to switch their manufacturing from Asia to Latin America in order to save time and money. The name CASA BIKES is a nod to our work in this arena.

We are working actively to help brands make their manufacturing and distribution as sustainable as possible. Our partnerships with Latin American manufacturers have made sustainable manufacturing more realistic than ever for US-based brands. Producing in Latin America means products have to travel less to get to their intended destination. Latin American manufacturers have more strict guidelines for greenhouse gas emissions, and many of our partner factories are LEED Certified. Also, we help our partner brands to source and use recycled raw materials for production wherever possible. Making a greener supply chain is beneficial to the environment, but also better for our customers.

Our online store and our Cambridge, MA physical store are the culmination of our mission for creating equity in the outdoor industy. At the end of the day, we simply love outdoor activities and the gear that makes them more enjoyable. The products we sell are also the products we use, from bikes to backpacks to apparel to tents - we believe in the products we sell. With CASA BIKES & OUTDOOR GEAR, you are getting really good stuff while helping to make a difference in the outdoor industry. Every purchase goes a little further in making this space more equitable and sustainable.