Why AYOUS Should Be Your New Vocab Word

The world is changing fast, and it seems the headlines are cascading over our industry. Harvesting restrictions on Ipe. Anti-dumping duties on cedar. A thermowood explosion. And new tariffs impacting, well, everything.

Turbulent times call for creative solutions. At Russin, we believe we help our customers succeed by giving them options. Our job isn’t to sell you on one particular thing…it’s to turn over every rock in the industry so we can present choices to solve problems for builders.

And that’s why we’re making you learn how to pronounce AYOUS.

Ayous (AY-YOOS) is harvested from plantations in central Africa, then thermally modified for a product that is stable, beautifully golden, mostly vertical grain, and shockingly inexpensive.

In a world where clear vertical grain Western Red Cedar is becoming increasingly expensive, and where tropical hardwoods are getting harder to source, we need options…. but not compromises. So, we need to look a little harder, and get comfortable with species that may be new, if they’re backed by solid testing that proves their performance.

Ayous may not be the only option we introduce, but we believe it can be an important part of a lineup – one that still includes cedar, Thermory, Black Label and more.

You’ll see us launch Ayous under the MAXIMO brand – we trust Maximo because their Ayous is carefully sourced, stringently tested, and backed by a company that can support a 25 year warranty. With new products, that level of assurance is critical.

We think you’ll find Ayous worth getting to know better. The fiber is gorgeous and you’ll love the price point…and your customers will appreciate that you’re not resting on your laurels.

And, the next time news breaks that shakes up our industry, we’ll still be here – tinkering, testing, and finding the next best thing.