Fair trade en authentiek
Authentic products from the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes mountains.
In a nutshell
Since her first footstep on Ecuadorian soil, the founder of EcuaFina, Rebecca Braak, has been in love with the land, its people, the rich culture and handmade products. EcuaFina literally means: the most beautiful (fina) products from Ecuador. These products (often made of soft alpaca wool) include plaids, sweaters, hats, but also necklaces. Traditionally, these products are made by the Quichua Indians who live and live in the Andes mountains by trading their own merchandise. She thought that these beautiful products could also enrich (color) many a European households, and the idea began to grow for a physical store. But, in a way that suits Rebecca: direct contact with the weavers and for a fair price.
Fair Trade and Direct Sourced
Many people today are familiar with terms such as Fair Trade and corporate social responsibility, but Rebecca personally ensures that these concepts are adhered to for EcuaFina. How? Rebecca spends a large part of the year in Ecuador and is then in direct contact (direct sourced) with the Quichua Indians. The special skills that are passed on from generation to generation not only keep old traditions alive, but at the same time the Quichua are paid fairly for their merchandise, allowing them to build an independent and fair living.
In January 2019, Rebecca made her dream come true and the EcuaFina Travel Concept Store in Zutphen was opened by both the mayor of Zutphen, Annemieke Vermeulen, and the ambassador of Ecuador, Fernando Bucheli. Since then, Rebecca has appeared in the press several times to talk about the success of EcuaFina.
Sustainability - from fur to blanket
Alpacas are the native grazers of the Andes mountain range that stretches across South America. They are durable grazers because their soft lips only eat the top leaves and blades of grass. As a result, they prune the vegetation, as it were, but they do not affect the vegetation. In addition, the pads under the legs of the alpaca are so resilient that they do not damage the young plants, they bounce over the bottom, as it were. As soon as spring comes and the alpacas start to molt, in this case, humans give nature a helping hand and they are shaved under strict supervision. Wool farmers bring their alpacas to the shaving areas where the weavers are then ready to choose the best wool. After this, the spinning of the wool into weaving thread begins and possibly the dyeing of the wool.
Mother and entrepreneur
Rebecca Braak, born and raised in Zutphen, NL, took a bachelor's degree in business administration at the VU University in Amsterdam. She wrote her master's thesis at KLM and, after successfully completing it, continued to work at KLM in the e-commerce department. Despite the fact that Rebecca was in her place here, she missed the outdoors and in particular her great love: horse riding. After much deliberation, she decided to do volunteer work in Ecuador for three months, hopefully to have found peace when she returned. Quite the opposite, she found everything she needed in Ecuador!
Founder of Rebecca Adventure Travel
In 2014 Rebecca moved to Ecuador to organize horseback riding there for other travelers. These travelers were so enthusiastic that they asked Rebecca for many more tips and the idea for a travel agency was born. Since 2014, Rebecca has been organizing tailor-made trips with her Rebecca Adventure Travel where the well-being of the local community is of paramount importance. With a team of approximately 12 local travel experts in Ecuador, she organizes tailor-made trips to the Andes, the Amazon and the unique Galapagos Islands.
Andres & José Miguel
In the year after the opening of Rebecca Adventure Travel, Rebecca met her dream man Andres at a horseback riding competition in Riobamba and in 2019 their first son, José Miguel, was born. Rebecca combines motherhood and entrepreneurship with the help of Andres, their families and good professionals in the companies who can take a lot of work off your hands.
Rebecca: I had the most beautiful adventures together with Andres in Ecuador for four wonderful years before our first son was born, then a whole new adventure started! My businesses run, grow and of course be a mother - often without my family around because they live in the Netherlands. Yes, I keep quite a few balls in the air but I also really enjoy it. I find the contact I have with our weavers and the knowledge that with EcuaFina we directly contribute to a better life, I find very special and I feel I have only just started!
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