Our Origins
It was 1984 in the city of Arequipa when a group of textile entrepreneurs came together with a shared purpose: to present to the world a noble fibre, an emblem of Andean identity and culture.
With the support of the Peruvian Government, through FOPEX and the Arequipa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the foundations were laid for what we now know as the International Alpaca Association (AIA).
That same year, Alpaca Mark was created, AIA’s collective brand, designed to distinguish textile products made with the finest alpaca fibre. More than a brand, it is a promise: to keep alive the tradition that connects high-Andean communities with the world through the art and culture woven into the Andes’ finest fibre.
AIA was not born merely to represent an industry, but to safeguard a legacy, because behind every strand of alpaca fibre there is history, there is culture, and above all, there is life.
What do we aim to achieve?
The AIA’s purpose is to promote and protect the image of alpaca fibre, its textile products, and its entire value chain in Peru and around the world.
What legacy do we leave?
We work to build and strengthen a competitive, sustainable, fair, and fully integrated value chain. One that improves the quality of life of high-Andean communities and enables them to share with the world their ancestral livestock and textile heritage, embodied in the richness of a noble and highly prized fibre.
Our commitment
Excellence, assurance and sustainability in every fibre.
With consumers
To offer them textile products of extraordinary quality that tell a wonderful story. One that begins in the Andes and is presented to the world with the innovation, design, standards and demanding expectations of today’s consumers.
With our member companies
To provide them with the institutional backing of a business association that promotes, communicates, guarantees and safeguards the quality and unique properties of alpaca fibre through the management of the collective brand “Alpaca Mark” and through wide-ranging communication and promotional strategies for alpaca worldwide.
With the global alpaca value chain
To strengthen the competitiveness of the alpaca value chain, ensuring its economic, social and environmental sustainability. To that end, we seek profitability at every link in the chain; ethical and responsible practices among producers, industrial processors, manufacturers, traders and artisans; and respect for, and environmental awareness of, the high-Andean ecosystem and the planet as a whole.
From the Andes to the world: creating sustainability and value.
Board of Directors
Guided by experience and responsibility, we work for the future of alpaca and its position in the world.
President
Jessica Rodríguez Gutierrez
Founder and CEO of Art Atlas, a Peruvian textile export company with a strong focus on sustainability and social development.
Creator of ANNTARAH, a sustainable fashion brand that promotes the use of natural fibres such as alpaca in the international market.
Jessica is the president of the Art Atlas Foundation, from where she leads support programmes for women in vulnerable situations, and she is also the founder of the Arequipa Chapter of the Women Entrepreneurs Association. She has been recognised by the U.S. Department of State for her leadership and has represented Peru in forums such as APEC Women and UN Women.
Jessica Rodríguez was the first woman to serve as president of the Arequipa Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its 133-year history. She currently serves as president of the International Alpaca Association, where she promotes the excellence, sustainability and global positioning of this unique fibre.
Vicepresident
María del Carmen De La Fuente Alvarado
Co-founder and General Manager since 1986 of ALLPA, an exporting company of handicrafts with worldwide recognition.
Sociologist from PUCP with postgraduate studies at the Sorbonne, Paris.
Active member for the last 15 years of the World Fair Trade Organization.
Miembro activo desde los últimos 15 años de la Organización Mundial de Comercio Justo (World Fair Trade Organization).
Founder of INPAT, the Peruvian Institute of Handicrafts, and founder of Crafts Council Peru, created in 2016 to promote and protect Peruvian handicrafts at the national and international levels.
Director
Juan Pepper Pastor
Commercial Director of Michell & Cía. S.A., the leading alpaca textile conglomerate worldwide.
He is also a board member of La Joya Mining S.A.C., a board member of the Civil Association Alpaca del Peru ASCALPE, and a board member of the Peruvian Tennis Federation FDTP.
With a specialization in international business with Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East, and more than 30 years of experience in leading high-performance teams and sustainability matters.
Juan Pepper holds an MBA in International Business from the University of Philadelphia in the United States and graduated in Business Administration from the Universidad Católica Santa María in Arequipa.
Director
Mateo Macedo Gomez de la Torre
Deputy Commercial and Operations Manager at Clasificadora de Lanas Macedo (CLAMASA). Specialised in Communications and Corporate Image, with experience in foreign trade, industrial operations and community relations. He has worked for more than 5 years with high-Andean communities in Peru.
Directora
Silvia Crosato Bruni
Commercial Director of Industrias Textiles de Sud América – ITESSA, a Peruvian textile manufacturer dedicated to the production of industrial yarns.
Born in Lima, with studies in Marketing and Foreign Trade, and with over 30 years of experience in the Alpaca industry.
Directora
Ines Vizquerra Benavides
General Manager of Andes Textiles Peru S.A.C. (DBA: Wayra).
She has a background in Business Administration and Marketing, with more than 15 years of experience in the Alpaca industry, and a strong interest in sustainable development projects in Peru that create employment opportunities, particularly for women.
Since 2020, Ines has been actively involved in the International Alpaca Association and is a member of the Organising Committee for Alpaca Fiesta 2024.
Directora
Nátaly Fonseca Cateriano
General Manager of the Silkeborg Uldspinderi office in Peru, a company dedicated to the production and sale of alpaca woven blankets and accessories.
She oversaw the implementation of the Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS) within the Silkeborg Group.
Nátaly has more than 15 years of experience in the Alpaca industry and served as Chair of the Academic Committee of Alpaca Fiesta 2024.
She is an Industrial Engineer from the Universidad Católica de Santa María in Arequipa and holds an MBA from Universidad del Pacífico in Lima.
Our origin inspires us,
the future unites us.
Sector Committees
Specialised spaces for coordination and leadership
Each committee brings together experts and industry representatives to ensure quality, institutional support, and the competitive growth of alpaca fibre worldwide.
Committee
Licensing and Brand Management
Committee
Marketing
Committee
International
Committee
Breeders
Committee
Industry Sector
Committee
International Advisory
Technical Team
Professionals dedicated to the excellence of alpaca.
Specialists who ensure the proper functioning of the AIA,
supporting the organisation in its mission to promote and protect alpaca fibre.
Daniel Aréstegui Otazú
Manager
Zootechnical Engineer (UNALM), with Master’s degrees in Social Management (PUCP) and in Communication and Marketing (UCSM). He has 30 years of experience as an executive and/or consultant in organisations linked to South American camelids and Andean livestock.
Since 2015, he has served as Manager of the International Alpaca Association (AIA) and of the Asociación Civil Alpaca del Peru – ASCALPE; Expert Consultant on Camelids for FAO RLC 2023–2025. Member of the Animal Fibres Producer Advisory Steering Committee of Textile Exchange since April 2025.
Erika Flores
Administrator
Administrator of the International Alpaca Association (AIA) since January 2021, with more than 5 years of professional experience in the alpaca sector, also responsible for the preparation of technical documents related to the industry, as well as the coordination and administration of events organised by the AIA.
Erika is also an Economist with a Master’s degree in Development Management and Social Management, with experience in the preparation of studies and projects related to the alpaca value chain.
Sofía Alvarado
Marketing and Communications Assistant
Commercial Engineer from the Universidad Católica de Santa María, with experience in Marketing, Finance, Accounting, and Accreditation Processes, and an advanced level of English (C1).
Sofía recently joined the Technical Team of the International Alpaca Association as Marketing and Communications Assistant, a role she undertakes with responsibility and commitment.