Our first visit to MILLMA & QAYTU was exciting and promising. Here is an innovative partner that has perfected the art of artisanal alpaca textiles, from spinning to dyeing to...
After having set up a network that we hope will allow us to reliably control fair pay at each step in production, we will now begin with our product design....
Having decided to settle for Puno as Socialpaca’s primary centre of operations in Peru, we met in Cuzco for the weekend, as this was on my way from Ayacucho. Delightfully,...
As mentioned in the previous Update, we decided to split up so that Gabriel could scout options in Puno while I did so in Huamanga. After ‘enjoying’ a 17-hour bus...
After a long and pleasant bus travel along the coast and through the Andes, we arrived in Huamanga, known to Westerners as Ayacucho. Here, we had learned, was the artisanal...
After returning from the winter break and family reunion, we picked up right where we left off. First, we made arrangements to procure the material needed for the scarf samples...
During our last week before the winter break and family reunion, we spent time in Quito meeting three potential partners. The first was Karla Rodríguez of KUN Eco Fibres. After...
In week five, we began wrapping up our stay at the farm, completing the most important tasks that needed to be done at the end of this year. These included...
Week four was a calm one. The host father, Xavier, departed to Angola for a business trip, regarding his research into decentralized healthcare. Before his departure, he invited us to...
In week three, the rhythm continues. The mountain views continue to delight us, Nelly's cooking keeps unfurling new facets, and we have started to feel quite at home. Even the...
In week two, we started settling into a bit of a rhythm. Rise at 6:30, breakfast at 7, working (mostly weeding) from 8 to 1:30, lunch, work, yoga, dinner, relax....
Hello World! We are Socialpaca, and this is our first blog entry. On this blog, you will learn about developing an ethical wardrobe, alpacas, textile care, our journey and more. We...
