About Green Trade Hardwood. Over 20 Years of Experience in the International Tropical Hardwood Trade

I entered the international timber trade at the age of 25, specializing in Burmese teak and working closely with trading companies in Malaysia and Singapore. Over the years, I built long-term relationships with producers and suppliers throughout Southeast Asia, supplying tropical hardwoods to customers across Europe.

Working directly at the source gave me a comprehensive understanding of every stage of the business—from sourcing and timber grading to logistics, shipping, quality control, and international trade. More importantly, it allowed me to experience firsthand the challenges, inefficiencies, and risks that have traditionally characterized the timber industry.

In February 2021, everything changed.

The military coup in Myanmar and the resulting international sanctions abruptly disrupted the supply chain that many European importers, including my own business, had relied upon for years.

Rather than leaving the industry, I saw an opportunity to rethink how the timber trade should operate.

While Myanmar had long been regarded as the benchmark for premium teak, other countries—including Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka—were already producing high-quality plantation teak that was legally harvested and certified under internationally recognized standards such as FSC and FLEGT. European buyers increasingly needed these alternative sources to comply with regulations such as the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) and the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

The supply was available.

The demand was growing.

What the market lacked was a trusted, efficient system capable of connecting verified buyers with qualified suppliers.

That vision became Green Trade Hardwood GmbH.

Based in Klagenfurt, Austria, Green Trade Hardwood GmbH manages the commercial and legal aspects of international timber transactions. At the heart of the business is catastico.eu, a private B2B e-procurement platform developed exclusively for the international hardwood trade.

Every supplier on the platform is verified and can only offer products that comply with European Union requirements. Every buyer is identified and qualified before gaining access. The result is a secure marketplace that eliminates unreliable intermediaries, reduces unnecessary negotiations, and creates confidence for both sides of every transaction.

Buyers can compare verified offers in near real time, knowing that suppliers meet European compliance standards and are capable of delivering legally sourced timber. Sellers can promote their products at minimal cost while reaching a carefully selected network of reputable European buyers.

Supported by the Carinthian Economic Promotion Fund (KWF), catastico.eu represents the platform I wished had existed when I began my career—one built on transparency, efficiency, compliance, and trust.

Today, it is helping shape a more reliable future for the international timber trade.