São Miguel · Azores
From the ocean to the garden
A different kind of life began on São Miguel.
01 - The ocean
From paddling, racing and recovering
Bruno Hasulyo spent most of his life on the water. Long distances, long seasons, and the kind of training that only makes sense if you love the place you are doing it in.
Racing at that level is mostly repetition: sleep, eat, recover, go again. It leaves you with a lasting interest in what actually helps and what is just noise. That question never really went away, it only changed subject.
- 6× SUP 11-City Tour Champion
- SUP World Champion
02 - The island
From moving, slowing and staying
São Miguel was not a career move. It was volcanic ground, a lot of rain, humid Atlantic air and winters mild enough that something is always growing. Lavender, thyme, rosemary and sage do well here, and once you notice that, it is hard to ignore.
Living on the island changes the pace. Days follow the weather more than the calendar, and the garden asks for attention at its own hours. Nature stopped being somewhere to go and became the place we live and work.
03 - The garden
From learning, testing and growing
We used natural products for years without knowing much about them. At some point we wanted to see the whole thing for ourselves, so we planted the herbs, borrowed a still and started making a mess of it until it worked.
It stayed a side project for a long time, made for our own house and for friends. It is still made the same way, only slightly more of it.
Today, we make small-batch botanical products on São Miguel.
Herbs, hydrosols and oils, grown and prepared on the island. Small batches, because that is the only way we can keep an eye on all of it.
The people
Three of us
Bruno Hasulyo
Stand-up paddle athlete, SUP World Champion and six-time SUP 11-City Tour Champion.
Csilla Hasulyo
Founder of SEPA Academy. She has spent more than thirty years developing and teaching her methods around training, recovery and living closer to nature. The results speak for themselves: multiple world champions have been built through her approach, and that same eye for detail now shapes how we choose and prepare the plants.
Tibor
Owner of SWR. A serious international entrepreneur before turning his full attention to the island, and a professional soccer player during his youth. Like the rest of us, his life has revolved around sport, health and time spent outdoors.
"We are not trying to improve on the plant. We are just trying not to get in its way."