Gonçalo Belmonte

Gonçalo discovered surfing in his 20s when his wife gave him a surfboard. He liked it so much he decided to build his own in wood, a material that has long interested him and his family – he even built a boat with his father once. After studying international relations and business, Gonçalo joined a multinational company, but continued to spend his free time working out the best construction process and materials for his surfboard. “I wanted to create an iconic surfboard that feels good under your feet and is good for the environment,” he says. After experimenting with different woods, even cactus, he chose Cryptomeria, a species found in the Azores archipelago. Today his handmade surfboards have carved a place in the environmentally-conscious surfing world.

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