We are Cecilia and Leandro, founders of HUANACO, a family business based in Loma Verde, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
We met while studying Economics at the University. After 20 years of working beside Argentine business owners, we decided to start our own project.
And thus, HUANACO was born: a new link in the value chain of consciously sourced Argentine natural fibers. Â
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We started selling wool skeins, hand-spun by a group of rural women, who had revived this technique as part of a social economy project in the province of Buenos Aires. Then, we added skeins of angora goat from a Small Ranchers Cooperative from Neuquén, and colored them with natural dyes.
The following year, we incorporated skeins of Patagonian merino wool. With more experience in processes using natural dyes, we presented a collection of colors especially designed for designer patterns, which was well received. This confirmed that HUANACO was ready to take the next step, and we decided to elevate the project to another level: producing our natural fiber yarns.
Since immersing ourselves in this world of natural fibers, we have gotten to know the farmers and their practices; we learned about animals and their care; we empathized with their problems and challenges; and we´ve celebrated each achievement and successful season!
Being able to trace the origin of each skein has been an ambitious goal that led us to engage deeply in the value chain. We sought answers to all the questions that arose: where does the fiber come from? What care do the animals receive? What environmental consequences result from the production methods? How does it impact the regional economy and the producers themselves?
In our search, we discovered spaces with respectful practices with environment, animals, and people. We discovered producers who work mimicking nature. And we decided to continue adding value to their production, honoring the efforts and results obtained achieved by the ranchers.
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In January 2024, we made our first production. Merino de la Patagonia is an exquisite yarn, super soft, pleasant in contact with the skin, with a firm twist, rounded shape, and perfect stitch definition.
On a small scale, we spin the most exquisite merino wool fiber, adding even more value to the work that ranchers began in their farms. 100% of this raw material comes from ranches measuring land health outcomes in Argentine Patagonia. Regenerative ranchers manage their land and livestock in a way that mimics nature. This restored relationship between the grazing animals and the grassland leads to a thriving ecosystem, more biodiversity, cleaner water, and healthier soil.
As always, we hand-dye each skein with natural dyes so that everyone can enjoy the colors that nature offers us in their knitting.
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Since we decided to carry out our own production of natural yarns, we designed management and production processes that allowed us to maintain the traceability of the wool from the farm to the skein.
Merino de la Patagonia is a milestone in HUANACO’s history, as we have managed to document the traceability of each skein, comply with Land to Market standards and protocols, and connect the products of the regenerated land to the consumer.
Merino de la Patagonia is our first verified regenerative sourced product, as indicated by the seal on each skein.
HUANACO is a proud member of Land to Market™, the world’s first verified regenerative sourcing solution for raw materials, including wool. Land to Market™ is working with brands around the world to heal the planet through the regeneration of its grasslands.