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The sun rises up, up, and finally over the peaks of Ocongate, Peru. At 15,000+ ft elevation, these epic views (and thin oxygen) would leave most breathless. But Felipe Cruz greets each day as he always has—with his beloved wife and children by his side, and an extended family of 100+ Alpaca that have been tenderly tended to for generations.
A Day in the Life, Centuries Old
As a child, Felipe was brought up amongst the Alpaca, even attesting that the herd raised him right alongside his own Alpaquero parents. Now, a generation later, he finds himself continuing the tradition—caring for his own children side by side with a herd of his own. Which brings us back to the sunrise…
Bracing himself against the early-morning chill, often wearing the very Alpaca fibers his herd provides, Felipe lets out a three-tone whistle, signaling to them that it’s time to head out. Each of the 100 animals has its own unique name, which Felipe, his wife, and children all know by heart. Alpacas are sacred Peruvian animals, after all.
With the day now underway, the herd is served breakfast, and the menu never gets stale. Rotating crops of alfalfa and other grasses allows Felipe to hit all their nutrition needs, and to live more lightly on the land. To drink, they migrate to crisp and cool glacial-melt water. And if an Alpaca is under the weather, Felipe and his family hand feed them the medicine they need to mend.
Not Food. Not Pets. But Family.
It’s not often the world thinks of animals as more than what’s on our plates or on our Instagram. But the relationship between Felipe and his herd is neither of these things. In fact, to describe the deeply co-dependent connection to these creatures, he uses the word “love”.
Alpaqueros and Alpacas have evolved together for centuries into a mutually beneficial relationship that’s akin to a family unit. This becomes abundantly clear during calving season, where humans will care for Alpaca the same way anyone would welcome a new family member, with deep care and consideration for their health and wellbeing.
Simultaneously playing genealogist, doctor, barber, and meal planner, Felipe uses a long-running record-keeping system to link new calves to their mothers, provide medicine and immunizations, monitor shear schedules, and determine which nutritious meal is next. In this way, he ensures that his herd is always getting the precise care they need, when they need it. Because with family, it’s not about profit, it’s personal.
A Day in Felipe's Life
Your Purchase Makes an Impact
- To help Alpaqueros like Felipe and his family continue this important profession and tradition, Paka reserves 1% of all our sales to serve the Alpaqueros and Alpacas.
- As a part of that, we’re in the process of building two greenhouses in Alpaquero communities, in an effort to improve access to nutrition.
- Currently, one in three children living in the Andes mountains struggles with anemia due to the difficulty of growing nutrient-dense vegetables at 15,000 ft. But these greenhouses will help create a positive impact—providing a variety of locally grown, iron-rich produce for the Alpaquero communities.
- We’ll be releasing our first impact report later this year to further show how these efforts are being allocated. If you’ve ever purchased with us before, a huge thank you for being part of this mission.
