Peru has about 80% of the worldwide alpaca population and is one of the few countries that produces alpaca wool. Commissioned by PromPeru, Globally Cool took charge of identifying potential buyers in the German market and connecting them to Peruvian exporters in the textile sector. Curious how?

Alpaca: the pride of Peru

Both cotton and alpaca are among the main drivers of Peruvian exports. For every ten people in Peru, there’s one alpaca, and yearly over 5,000 tons of crude fiber is produced from it. Alpaca fleece is soft, water-repellent, and used for many purposes, from blankets to garments and even toys.

Off to a flying start

Previous market research concluded that within Europe, Germany is the leading potential export market for Peruvian home textiles. But who are – and not without importance – how do we find these potential German buyers? To get a head start, team members Wietske and Esmée started with desk research, for which they conducted in-depth interviews with textile importers. Final score? Ten complete buyer profiles of potential German buyers of alpaca home textile products. Lots of new opportunities have arisen for Peruvian textile exporters.

A quick dive into the field

There is only one place where these specific potential buyers gather. That’s right: it’s at the Ambiente fair! This fair in Frankfurt is the world’s leading trade fair for consumer goods. Globally Cool’s international trade consultants packed their bags to go meet prospective companies at Ambiente. And it was definitely worth our while! We gathered lots of valuable information during interviews and by attending several seminars. At the end of the fair, a huge number of interviews were conducted. The result of these interviews, including information gained through additional telephone interviews, was sufficient to complete even 11 more buyer profiles.

Long-term partnerships in the making

Before the transfer of all collected information, the project goes into the final stage. In this case, the wrap-up stage asked for a market report and a short video animation with the highlights of the Ambiente fair – such as trends, developments, and interesting quotes from buyers. Now it’s time for us to hand over the baton to PromPeru and the Peruvian companies in the textile sector. These companies will actively follow up on the buyer profiles, which will hopefully lead to durable partnerships.

Interested in what Globally Cool has to offer in terms of Trade fairs and Matchmaking?