Matt Lucero: Lucero & Co.
“Well, we make tung oil wood finishes and we press our own tung oil here in Vietnam. So, I’m located in Vietnam and we manufacture our products here.
And we sell to the market here for furniture production also retail. And we export. We just started selling retail in the US and we have plans to expand, we have a lot of different types of products. They’re very easy to use. I think you’ve even used them. They can’t be simpler.”
– Matt Lucero
Welcome to a brand-new episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast. Today, your host Steve Larosiliere is joined by Matt Lucero from Lucero & Company.
Matt’s company produces tung oil wood finishes and presses their own tung oil in Vietnam, where he is currently based. They produce their products and sell them to the market for furniture production. They also engage in retail and exporting. They recently began selling retail in the US, and they intend to grow!
In this episode, Matt shares his journey to Vietnam, his time spent working with a nonprofit organization, and the target market that their tung oil products are aimed at, and a lot more!
Listen now and get the whole story!
“We do not use any natural waxes and there’s a reason for that. Natural waxes tend to gum up over time. They tend to get sticky; they tend to provide adhesion problems if you go to recoat later on in the future. Now we’re talking like the future.”
– Matt Lucero
Advantages of Applying Tung Oil as a finish
For millennia, tung oil has been used to treat stone as well as give boats and other wooden items a water-resistant gloss. In place of other drying oils like walnut, linseed, and soy, pure Tung oil is a great substitute. The fact that tung oil is adaptable, simple to use, and harmless to the environment contributes to its popularity for projects in addition to the fact that it creates a lovely and protective surface.
According to Matt, they already had the concept to produce tung oil. But for them, the transition from having the concept to create a plantation of tung trees to actually generating their own tung oil is a significant challenge.
“It was an idea we already had. But the jump from having an idea of making a plantation of tung trees to produce your own tung oil to actually make it happen is a huge hurdle.”
– Matt Lucero
Want to get in touch with Matt Lucero?
Contact him through:
Website: https://thelucerocompany.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLuceroCompany/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelucerocompany/