Maker

Musaz

Vanessa Melo founded MUSAZ to explore the sustainable and socially inclusive potential of the banana tree in this island region, transforming botanical waste into handcrafted goods. This is because the banana tree does not allow a second harvest, becoming bio-waste after bearing fruit.

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SOCIAL ART FROM BANANA PLANTS

The story4piecesSee the pieces

An architect and researcher with a PhD in urbanism walks into a backyard with banana trees in the Azores. As a joke, this story goes nowhere; as an ecological project, it goes very far.

Vanessa Melo founded MUSAZ with the goal of exploring the sustainable and socially inclusive potential of the banana plant in this insular region, transforming botanical waste into handcrafted items. This is because the banana plant does not allow a second harvest, becoming bio-waste after fruiting.

It all began in 2022, with a collaborative project, collecting banana plants from friends' and family's backyards, experimenting with extracting, drying, and crushing fibre from the banana stalks. This experience resulted in the book “Uma Viagem ao Centro da Bananeira” (A Journey to the Center of the Banana Plant), which tells the story of this first initiative and its discoveries.

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But the project quickly grew, and in 2025 Vanessa created the brand MUSAZ, continuing the previous experience. In addition to creating beautiful objects with banana fiber - ranging from basketry to more textile items and banana paper - MUSAZ promotes training and leisure workshops for the elderly, children, and tourists, as well as disseminating and exhibiting creative work with this raw material.

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The journey

Musaz

Origins and Founders

An architect, a nurse and a cultural manager walk into a banana forest in the Azores. As a joke, this story goes nowhere; as an eco-social project, it goes all the way. Vanessa Melo founded Musaz in 2022 together with António Braga and Elga Martín to unlock the sustainable and socially inclusive potential of regional banana trees by transforming botanical waste into handcrafted artifacts.

Beginnings and Experimentation

It all began in Elga’s backyard, experimenting with raw stalks from banana trees that were due to be cut down because they could no longer bear fruit.

Growth and Social Impact

Soon, Musaz grew into an ambitious enterprise: they began rescuing discarded plants, drying and shredding their fibers, and empowering people from all walks of life, especially through second-chance hiring, for artisanal creative production.

Activities and Outreach

Besides crafting beautiful objects, Musaz runs workshops for seniors, children and tourists, exhibits artistic installations, and has published the book “A Trip to the Center of the Banana Tree” about their art and work.

The technique

ABOUT THE BANANA TREE

Each banana tree bears fruit only once in its lifetime, after which it is replaced and discarded. Musaz uses the stems to extract fibres through a manual process of extraction, drying and shredding.

Handmade by Musaz

The pieces

Musaz doesn't just create objects; it weaves stories of inclusion and sustainability. Each basket represents a second chance for people and for the banana plant, turning the ephemeral into the eternal through handcraft that values both the material and the human being. Through craftsmanship, the fibres take on new life and communities find purpose, in a cycle of respect for the environment and for human dignity. This eco-social project shows that it is possible to create value from what is considered disposable, inspiring a broader awareness of consumption and community. Musaz's legacy is a tapestry of innovation and care, shared with every piece, linking the agricultural past of the Azores to a greener and fairer future.

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