Bowland was created in 2010 as a meeting place for the small community of bowhunters existing in the centre of Spain. Without a doubt during several years it was this, it became a leader for the lovers of hunting and archery in Madrid and its surrounding areas.
But Bowland has always been united to the restless and non-conformist personality of its founders. Their vision of hunting and their own personal evolution as hunters has influenced decisively in the development of the company:
“We never considered Bowland as a business with a final objective, really, it has always been an instrument, a tool that has defined our way of seeing, understanding and relating to hunting. At first, as bowhunters, we did not have any objective other than introducing in our market products and brands that up to then were difficult to obtain on the Spanish market. Over time our vision of hunting changed: new dreams, different scenarios and better perspective... and of course Bowland, almost without our realising it, also evolved in this same direction.”
Conservationism, the large spaces, the mountains and internationalisation were the new scenarios:
“As hunters we have never had clear objectives, sometimes I think that photography or the mountain are our authentic passions, but hunting continues to give us the opportunity to establish a special relationship with nature, to travel, to face new challenges and above all to transit through some settings that remain in your mind the rest of your life. We seek experiences, we enjoy the process...
... hunting is like a large prism that helps you to focus nature in a different way. In short, we seek something that defines us beyond our daily lives.”
Therefore, a new direction and a new objective for Bowland: to help customers make their hunting experience pleasant; so they are capable of confronting new challenges, of going farther; in summary, to enjoy the process more:
“Actually, the tool that you use to bring down an animal does not provide you with the most pleasant or satisfactory experience. However, your equipment is everything: not getting wet when a storm crosses over; remaining dry and warm after a long climb; eating or sleeping well; transporting your equipment comfortably; climbing down a mountain safely; remaining warm while waiting in the snow... Your equipment is really the only guarantee you have in order to confront a day of hunting satisfactorily.”
Here began a long journey in search of international brands and manufacturers capable of offering solutions to Spanish hunters. Little by little, Bowland again became a leader for the entire community of hunters, lovers of archery, expeditions, mountain hunting and from blinds:
“But in all this time, we always had a model, an inspiration; like that buck with large horns that you saw on one occasion and which makes you go up the mountain again and again with the hope of seeing it once more... someone with whom we feel identified, capable of making you dream or making you reflect on what you are doing and how..."
But finally, in 2015 Sitka Gear reached Europe, and there were the guys from Bowland, wanting to offer their customers the equipment of the best brand of clothing in the world.
First as a retailer and later as a distributor, Bowland began to market the Sitka Gear products in Spain and then in the rest of Europe:
“It doesn’t matter what solutions you try to offer to your clients, because you know that there is something better in the market than what you are offering them and that is the worst that can happen to you. For this reason, when we began to work with Sitka Gear it was very special... suddenly we found ourselves travelling through Europe doing what we like best, getting to know, helping and offering solutions to hunters of all the countries... But now, if we think of it, really, beginning to distribute Sitka Gear in Europe was crazy, marvellous but crazy. Everything changed, luckily we could surround ourselves with a fantastic team who turn this incredible project into a reality.”
In the beginning as a retailer and later as an exclusive distributor of Sitka Gear for all of Europe, the guys from Bowland do not know if this is the beginning or the end of the road, but they are indeed sure that this experience is the most gratifying and motivating one that they had ever imagined.
