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Maggie Garcia´s Journey: From Peru to Germany, learning sustainability for her Alpaca MGO slow-fashion brand

Merilyn Tammaru

Meet Maggie: A journey from Peru to sustainable entrepreneurship

The beginning of a vision

From souvenirs to sustainability

Meet Maggie, an entrepreneur from Peru with a heart as big as her dreams. Her journey began when she decided to take upon her vision for sustainability and a passion for change for her community. As the co-founder of Alpaca MGO, Maggie's mission wasn't just about creating a brand—it was about redefining the way things were done to what we need in the future: a purpose, an identity, an added value, and most importantly a story.

Alpacas and their cultural significance

Preserving Incan artisanal techniques

In this blog, we explore the significance of alpacas in Peruvian culture, their role in preserving the artisanal techniques of Incan ancestors, and how they provide work opportunities for local alpaca farmers and artisans.

Creating work opportunities for farmers

In this blog, we explore the significance of alpacas in Peruvian culture, their role in preserving the artisanal techniques of Incan ancestors, and how they provide work opportunities for local alpaca farmers and artisans.

"I'm Maggie, from Peru. I moved to Germany in 2020. I am the co-founder of the sustainable brand named Alpaca MGO. To be honest, it has not been sustainable from the beginning. My husband started a “Peruvian souvenirs” project, then I joined the project focusing only on the alpaca fibers so I brought the idea of adding sustainable value to it, this is where we re-branded and re-created the brand to convey the new direction of the project as well as to give the brand a purpose, an identity, a value, and to tell a story. I didn't want to just profit from it, I wanted to revalue the significance of alpaca in Peruvian culture, preserving the artisanal techniques of our Inca ancestors, as well as helping alpaca farmers (one of them, my uncle) and others with work opportunities."

Visiting alpaca farmers 3000-5000m above sea level so we see how the alpacas are doing and update farmers about new products and plans

The impact of sustainable fashion

Promoting slow fashion and fair trade

"I saw the impact we could have on our customers through it, raising awareness and promoting slow fashion philosophy, support for fair trade businesses, handmade and sustainable products, ecological impact, and, most importantly, cruelty-free. So I decided to educate myself in sustainable and responsible management to implement it in our small Business and to grow without having to lose our values and passion. This is how after 1 year of search study programs that I would be interested in, I found Tomorrow University and its programs. Responsible Entrepreneurship and Management was like love at first sight for me so I decided to give it a try (one last time) and apply.

Overcoming personal challenges

I have to confess that by this time I was still struggling with dysthymia. I was not only having a hard time dealing with it, but I was also so frustrated because I wanted to educate myself and I felt that I wasn’t moving forward, I found interesting programs but not exactly what I was passionate about, and despite learning the German culture, and the language I was being rejected or ignored, I wasn’t able to prove my skills, my knowledge, and my potential for not having a previous degree, and I was about to give up and go back to my country so I could start all over again.

Finding hope with Tomorrow University

But when everything was dark I could see a tiny light. The first I noticed from ToU admission team was that they focused on seeing my potential and my passion and getting to know me. It was exactly what I wanted to learn and be part of, not only the bachelor program but the community."

This is Nicasio, one of our alpaca farmers. He was spinning some fiber by hand when we visited him. He received a beanie from the collection we were about to present.

Maggie's continued commitment

Quality control and compassion


So here I am, I've just started and it's still a bit surreal for me. And even though it's only been almost 1 month, I've already seen myself grow. It's been a long time since I've felt motivated and excited about studying again. The Bachelor program and the community have exceeded my expectations and have given me back hope and direction to find my purpose in life and to contribute even more to planet Earth.

Empowering others

Now that I am overcoming the challenge of mission identification, I have had to introspect on my life, analyze myself, and identify my obstacles, and my achievements. I have been discovering other passions, and I have been able to realize that I want to contribute more, in another way, I want to help others, especially migrant women to have the opportunity to develop new skills, find their passions, to be noticed, to contribute to a better tomorrow and living sustainably. I want to help people with fewer opportunities to not feel alone as I felt. I want to empower them and help them to be noticed and heard.

Maggie doing quality control: 1st after knitting, 2nd before the dyeing and washing process, 3rd as the final product

Dedication to Alpaca MGO's mission

As she and her husband continue their work with Alpaca MGO, they remain rooted in their commitment to quality and compassion. Whether visiting alpaca farmers in the Andes or overseeing quality control systems, Maggie's dedication to her craft shines through in every aspect of her work. Join Maggie on her journey as she embodies the spirit of education, determination, and a relentless commitment to making the world a better place—one stitch at a time.

Connect with Maggie and learn more

Connect with Maggie via LinkedIn and find her Etsy Shop here.

Are you curious to learn more about our Bachelor Program? You can find all details Here

Merilyn Tammaru
Merilyn Tammaru

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