The story of Green Glass doesn’t begin with a glass bottle. It begins with two paths marked by loss, searching, and unbreakable resilience. This isn’t the version you read in magazines; this is our truth. And now, as we approach our 10th anniversary, we feel it’s time to tell it.
Hitting Rock Bottom 🌃
My name is Lanchi. Long before glass became my life, I was the CEO of a successful web design company. I had a team of programmers, 3D designers, and a portfolio of clients across Latin America. But that success was fleeting. The inexperience of being 26, a fear of delegating, and an identity crisis I failed to recognize caused it all to crumble.
In the midst of that fall, life dealt me its hardest blow: the passing of my mother. My friend, my companion, my everything. 💔 I fell into a depression whose depths I am only now, at 46, beginning to understand. With no family support, I escaped my hometown and arrived in Buenos Aires with nothing.
I began living from one friend’s house to another, immersing myself in a virtual life, trying to hold onto the remnants of my digital empire. I was still working on my websites, applying my advanced knowledge of web positioning (SEO Webmaster) and building complex platforms. But the reality was that the monster I had created over 10 years had spun out of my control. I was a prisoner of my own creation, unable to manage it all. At 36, I watched everything fall apart.
The darkness was profound.
“Lanchi, what are you afraid of?” I asked myself one day, at my limit. “Of having nothing.” The answer was an immediate, brutal command: “Okay, you have nothing now. Go live on the street.”
And I did. It was only for three days, but time distorted completely. Seconds in my head felt like geological eras. I became a shadow, walking the city from end to end, aimlessly searching for an answer. 🚶♂️ From Palermo to Puerto Madero, then to Once, wandering through neighborhoods in an infinite loop. I slept on park benches, enduring a bone-chilling cold and eternally long nights filled with uncontrolled thoughts. For someone who, as they say, was born with a silver spoon, the harshness of the street was a brutal blow. I felt I was at the bottom of a well, and if I didn’t “wake up,” it would all be over.
After three of those eternal days, I woke up at the Floralis Genérica. It was there, sitting at its base, physically and mentally exhausted, that I surrendered. Not in defeat, but in release. I let go of control, of ego, of expectations. I let go of everything. And I said to myself: “Okay, if I have to clean floors, I’ll clean floors. Because nothing I’ve done so far has worked…”
It was an incredible act of faith. Because minutes after that total surrender, my phone rang. 📞
It was Mauro, the manager of a hostel in Palermo Hollywood to whom I had, days earlier, offered my SEO services in exchange for a roof over my head. They had accepted. I went to the hostel and cried like never before. I had a bed and a new beginning.
The Encounter and The Spark ✨
Life at the hostel was a day-by-day struggle. While working on their website, I got a job as a grill assistant. It was there, in the midst of rebuilding, that life struck me down again with the passing of my younger brother. It was devastating. And it was there that I met Eli Moreno. ❤️
She also came from a hard life, having lost her mother at a young age. A tireless seeker, with an artistic talent waiting to blossom. One day, she told me her dream: she wanted to learn how to cut glass bottles. I was floored. “Me too,” I replied. 💡 Out of nowhere, we shared the same vision.
With the tips Eli earned as a waitress, we bought our first bottle-cutting machine. While she worked, I practiced day and night. It was my final leap of faith: I shut down the server hosting my old life and dedicated myself entirely to the art of glass.
After a brief, beautiful adventure running a small bar in Palermo, we decided to go all-in. I asked Eli what she wanted to call our project. Without hesitation, she said, “Green Glass.” And with that name, I began to build our new story online.
The Crossroads and The Universe’s Sign 🌌
We sold our first creations at fairs, but my perfectionism was straining our relationship. Then, a man named Juan Carlos appeared, a fan of our work who seemed like an “envoy from the future.” He spoke not of business, but of energy and purpose. In one of our otherworldly conversations, he hinted that the missing piece to unlock our true potential was not a new technique, but creating a family.
The idea left us speechless. At our usual pizzeria, I had to ask her, “Did you understand the same thing I did?” Her eyes confirmed it: we were meant to have a child.
The tension culminated in an ultimatum from Eli. It was the “Big Bang” of my life. I promised her I would change, knowing it was my last chance. That day, we saved our relationship and Green Glass. The dynamic shifted. Arguments became creative brainstorms. We reinvested every penny we earned into new tools and ideas. We were so immersed in this rebirth that we didn’t notice the universe had already made its move.
The definitive sign was yet to come.
That same week, we found out Eli was pregnant. 👶
Our future son, Valentino, was on his way. The prophecy was fulfilled.
From Sustainability to Artisanal Luxury 💎
The path began to light up. “Claudito,” a friend, gave us our first luxury bottles. I discovered Eli’s hidden talent for calligraphy, and she began to personalize our creations. One day, a call came from HERMÈS. They wanted us for a live engraving event.
That was the moment our focus shifted forever. Guided by our friend “Sil,” we found our true calling. We weren’t just recyclers; we were artists transforming luxury objects into even more exclusive pieces. Thus, premium sustainability was born, the DNA that now defines Green Glass and our brother project, .
With an increasingly strong web positioning, major companies began to contact us. We made 150 glasses for Google’s offices, created pieces for the CARNE hamburger chain by renowned international chef Mauro Colagreco, and even appeared on television, creating personalized gifts for personalities like tennis player Pico Mónaco and the historic manager of Diego Maradona, Guillermo Coppola.
The Recognition of Legends and The Creative Leap 🥃
Our recognition in the world of whisky grew exponentially, forging friendships with legends like Miguel Ángel Reigosa, founder of the great Whisky Museum
. A true honor was creating a premium glass for Colin Scott, the former Master Blender of Chivas Regal, thanks to our friend Nathan Wood. Our craftsmanship was also commissioned by Gibson Guitars and its CEO, Cesar Gueikian, who gifts our pieces to brand ambassadors like Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Slash from Guns N’ Roses.
Participation in the most exclusive whisky events, such as Whisky Live Buenos Aires, Chivas House Buenos Aires, and Johnnie Walker House, became a regular occurrence. At these venues, Eli dedicated herself to personalizing bottles with her flawless lettering, bringing our art to the most discerning palates.
A Creative Leap: The Extreme Glass
But amidst this success, I felt the need to take another step. One of the most outstanding innovations, born from that restlessness, was the creation of the “Blue Extreme” glass from a Johnnie Walker Blue Label bottle. It was my signature design, the idea of breaking the mold and challenging the global standards of creative recycling. I didn’t want to just cut a bottle to make a glass; I wanted to create a spinning whisky glass that offered a completely new experience. Today, that is a super-innovative design worldwide and the symbol of our philosophy.
Today, we are dedicated to showing the world the concept of Green Glass, a project that began by pulling an empty bottle from the trash.
This is our story. A journey of falls, love, resilience, and art. Thank you for being a part of it. 🙏.
If we can dream it, we can create it…
Lanchi & Eli ❤️
