The Journey Home

Peru is more than just a place on the map for us. It’s our origin, soul, and the place where everything at PAKA is made possible. So when our team packed their bags and headed to Cusco a few weeks ago, it wasn’t just a company trip. It was a return to our roots and a reminder of why we do what we do.

As a multicultural team of 25 from all around the world, we visited the Quechua weavers, shared stories over coca tea and bumpy van rides, and hiked in the highlands where our alpaca fiber is sourced (breathing at 12,000 feet elevation is a workout!)
 
We saw firsthand the impact our brand has beyond clothing - how a single hoodie can impact job creation, cultural preservation, and community pride on a huge scale. It’s the kind of thing that makes all those Slack messages and late-night product launches really worth it.

This trip also marked one full year of our PAKA flagship store in Cusco - a milestone we celebrated with equal parts alpaca-powered joy, gratitude, and probably too many empanadas. Nestled in the Andes, our Cusco store is a living and breathing expression of who we are. A year later, it’s become even more than that. It’s a community hub for locals and travelers alike, where you can try on the world’s comfiest hoodie, grab a maca latte at Sebastian’s Coffee Hut, meet Peruvian adventure guides that are discovering untrekked places in the Andes, and be a part of a global community.

Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the trip and what it meant to a few of our team members, and keep reading for more about what we were up to:

The trip kicked off with one of our proudest moments to date: through our new PAKA Foundation, we donated 40 alpacas to two highland communities of alpaqueros. This donation will improve their alpaca herds for generations to come, helping to ensure economic security for the communities and improvements for the health of their alpacas. Sharing this gift with the communities was emotional, humbling, and a bit magical.

We also visited the local school we’re partnering to improve, and met a teacher and a few kids who will directly benefit from a better classroom, resources, and meals. This school is more than a building - it’s the future of the community. And we’re honored to be part of its story.

We had the chance to meet several of the PAKA Scholars, the young female leaders whose education we help fund through your purchases and our partnership with Peruvian Hearts. These students are sharp, driven, and full of vision for what’s possible, as they work to overcome challenging home situations and limited resources. You don’t always get to see the ripple effect of your work in real time - but this moment hit deep.

We also recognized our very first PAKA Scholar entrepreneur, a young woman named Alexandra who opened her own flower shop. As a brand born from an entrepreneurial and bootstrapped spirit, we’re honored to pay it forward and support her efforts.

In between long drives through the mountains, we visited the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (CTTC). Our team met Nilda, who leads our incredible team of weavers, and spent time with the Quechua women who weave the Inca IDs for every one of our garments by hand.

These women are artists, mothers, and knowledge keepers. Being welcomed into their craft was one of the most moving parts of the entire trip. We sat side by side with them, learning how they make the iconic handwoven bracelets. It is much harder than it looks, and our versions were… interpretive. But the experience was unforgettable.

We had to pay homage to Machu Picchu! The whole team hiked through clouds, alpaca sightings, and ancient stone to reach the sun gate - and when we got there, it felt like the mountain itself was giving us a quiet nod of approval. The ingenuity. Stillness. And sense that we’re all just part of something much bigger than ourselves.

To top it all off, we celebrated the first year of our flagship store in Cusco. This store has been the ultimate team effort, and we are incredibly grateful for every partner who helped bring it to life and every shopper who walked through our doors over the last year.

To celebrate, we brought together artisans, community members, brand partners, and our own team – complete with music, Peruvian treats, and even some dancing (did you know that alpaca fiber makes for great party attire?)

This trip wasn’t just a celebration of what we’ve done. It was fuel and clarity for what’s next as our brand steps into almost a decade. We left Peru feeling inspired, reconnected, and deeply grounded in our mission: to create the best alpaca apparel for the outdoors, fostering a deeper connection to nature and uplifting Peruvian communities.

Thank you to everyone who’s supported us this past year. Whether you’ve bought a hoodie, told a friend, or walked through our Cusco door yourself, you’re a valuable part of all the impact we were able to witness.

Here’s to many more years together.

Warm alpaca hugs,

- The PAKA Team