CIIE Stories | 'Alpaca miracle' across the Pacific

Peruvian artisan Oswaldo Mamani never imagined that a chance encounter a decade ago with a Chinese tourist, Ma Yuxia, would open the door for the small alpaca dolls he hand-sewed to embark on a CIIE journey across the Pacific.

To make their debut at the inaugural China International Import Expo (CIIE), Ma Yuxia and her Peruvian partners jointly founded the brand Warmpaca. When the alpaca dolls were unveiled at a modest nine-square-meter booth, they immediately drew widespread attention, with customers and orders pouring in.

Today, Warmpaca has opened four brick-and-mortar stores in Shanghai and one in Xiamen, with customers across provinces and cities including Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Harbin, Sanya, and Urumqi. Orders generated through the CIIE have helped more than 200 Peruvian families lift themselves out of poverty and achieve greater prosperity.

Please watch this episode of “CIIE Stories” and hear the firsthand experiences shared by Ma Yuxia, founder of Warmpaca, and Oswaldo Mamani, Peruvian artisan.