If you know a wicker craftsman in San Agustín, Huila, chances are they are related to José Alfonso Cerón, the inheritor of his family’s artisanal knowledge, with whom Dora Bonilla fell in love over twenty years ago. Together, they founded Bimbral. They met in Popayán, Cauca, her hometown, where he had moved to work in a wicker workshop. José Alfonso came from Huila, where he had learned to work with iraca and wicker from a young age, becoming a master of the craft. Dora had earned a scholarship to study any field she desired due to her excellent school performance, and despite her family’s objections, she chose to study Fine Arts, the closest match to her passion for working with her hands. Upon meeting, Dora noticed José Alfonso’s generous teaching style—patient and full of tricks of the trade, which she herself benefited from as his student. She fell in love not only with him but also with wicker. Since then, they have never stopped working.

The first thing Dora learned to make were basic baskets, simple pieces she quickly grew bored of. Her training as an artist made her curious. Luckily, she found a way to integrate her artistic side with her craft. She started researching new weaves and appliqués to add value to the baskets. She then experimented with other materials, like leather, crochet, and paint. After some practice, she realized that, like her, her customers also preferred variety. They learned to work with nature’s timing, becoming familiar with other fibers like banana sheath from Apartadó, thin vine from Huila, and yaré vine from Putumayo, allowing time for the wicker harvest.

This family of diverse origins found their place in Medellín, where for many years they supplied companies with their wicker products. Then the pandemic hit, a turning point for many artisans. They decided to start offering their creations directly, promoting them through social networks and word-of-mouth. The demand was so high that they had to form a larger team. The family business expanded to include extended family, training relatives and distributing work between Medellín, Bogotá, Huila, and Cauca to supply everything from furniture to earrings featured in their beautiful catalog.

Proof of their success over more than twenty years is that they have been able to support their large family through wicker. They had eight children, six of whom are still living. All but the youngest, born in 2024, have inherited their parents’ knowledge. Although the two eldest, aged 20 and 18, now live in the seminary where they are studying, their mother believes that everything they learned at home will somehow be useful in their religious lives.