When wood became a new path for Claudia Catileo

For two decades, Claudia Catileo's life unfolded among boxes, numbers, and customer service at BancoEstado. Her story, however, did not begin in the south. Born in Santiago, she arrived as a child in the Biobío province, where she would eventually put down permanent roots.

She studied Business Administration Engineering while raising her daughter and working, building a stable career that seemed set to unfold without upheaval. But the pandemic changed everything.

Separated, without support networks, and with her role as treasurer impossible to adapt to remote work, she faced a limit decision: continue in a system that no longer gave her options or take a leap into the void. She chose the latter. She resigned.

"I had no alternative," she recalls. And although she received her full severance pay, the money soon diluted among expenses, debts, and the need to support her family. She tried different jobs: sold clothes, worked as a waitress, sought to reinvent herself without a clear direction. Until an idea appeared that, without her knowing it, would change her life.

The path in networks

It was on social media where Claudia found her new path: a CNC machine capable of carving wood with millimetric precision. "I fell in love," she says bluntly. For years she watched, learned, and dreamed of having one, though without fully understanding the complexity it involved.

Finally, with funds obtained after selling a property and the support of a Sercotec fund, she managed to acquire her own machine. She installed it in a warehouse of more than 60 square meters at her home in Antuco, a space that previously felt empty and today is her workshop.

The beginning was not easy. Without knowledge in digital design or machining, she had to learn from scratch. "I thought the machine did everything by itself, but you have to know how to design, program, understand errors," she admits. Even so, she persisted.

New life

Today, Claudia works mainly with native wood. She designs and produces everything from boards and furniture to decorative pieces with local identity, even incorporating volcanic sand in some creations.

But her connection with wood goes beyond the technical. "I like to see its grains, its flaws. For me they are like people's wounds, they tell a story," she explains. That perspective has allowed her to develop her own style, where each piece has a story.

Six months after starting her venture, Claudia advances step by step. She has found in local fairs her main sales channel, especially with tourists, although she acknowledges that the digital world is still a pending challenge.

"I didn't think it would be so hard to leave a fixed salary," she admits. The cold of the fairs, the instability of income, and the pressure of supporting her home are part of her new reality. However, she does not contemplate giving up.

"My daughter, my animals, my house depend on me. I can't lower my arms," she says with conviction.

Between uncertainty and learning, Claudia Catileo builds a new life, where each piece of wood not only reflects her craft, but also her story of resilience.

At Acoforag we deeply value the effort, perseverance, and courage of Claudia, who decided to reinvent herself and make her way in the world of wood.