Mightier than the sword

Recently, I went to Bermuda on business. Since I had never been there before, I needed to know as much as possible about the island to find out how to conduct business there.

Fortuitously, a few months before, we met Mervin Mascarenhas, a humble pen maker from Kelowna.

Mervin was introduced to us because of the craftsmanship displayed in his luxury, hand-crafted pens.

If you have ever dreamed of owing a pen crafted from wood that is hundreds or thousands of years old, you met the right guy.

All the pens, whether made from wood thousands of years old or from meteorites, are verified with carbon-dating certificates and incredible stories of how Mervin came across such unique materials.

One of the main projects my company works on is flying cars and we figured that there might be a buyer or two out in Bermuda, but how do we start?

After a brief conversation with Mervin who we found out had lived there for several years, we laid the groundwork for what was to become a successful trip.

Far from being a humble pen maker, it became obvious during our trip that Mervin was somewhat of an icon in Bermuda.

It took approximately 20 minutes of driving from the airport to make our first connection with Mervin at our side.

We had stopped off for groceries before we arrived at our apartment and literally in two separate isles in a random grocery store, Mervin re-connected with people who he had not seen for many years.

It was clear that the roots in the friendships ran deep.

That was just the start of what continued to be a productive and entertaining visit.

Mervin continued to astound us with his connections on the island and the depth of the friendships he had created for many years living there.

What was clear to us at the end was that the title of humble pen maker is completely understated.

Mervin is a confident and talented craftsman with a broad imagination and incredible creativity.

His creations are made right here in Kelowna and I have no doubt that you will ready much more about Mervin as his business grows and matures in the luxury pen market place.

If you are looking for a unique and novel gift for Christmas, definitely check out his website.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.