The Story
Hiya! My name is Eveline. A lost-and-found world-traveller, modern-day hippie. Together with Yin, a Peruvian-street-cat-turned-princess, I live in Tallinn, Estonia, which we call “home-for-now”.
My story began in 2006 when I first fell in love with Latin America. Of course, that happened on a sunny Caribbean island: a place hard not to fall in love with…
In 2009, I began my bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language & Culture at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean, my love for the continent deepened. After earning my degree, I was finally able to go explore... I spent seven months in Peru, volunteering with a local NGO.
Back in the Netherlands, I began my master’s degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Eager to learn more, I couldn’t resist the pull to return just four months into my studies. I headed to La Paz, Bolivia, to conduct fieldwork.
Inspired by the beauty of both the people and nature of Bolivia, I was completely enchanted by the mysteries of Latin America. I returned home to complete my thesis on female empowerment and syncretism. Then, I took one more detour for an internship in Costa Rica before heading back to Peru in 2015, with only a backpack and a burning desire to discover more.
The years of traveling that followed were a whirlwind of experiences and personal growth as I bounced between Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. It was also the time that inspired creating Yanantin.
I saw an opportunity to make real, positive change. I decided to take it with both hands.
I met Nona and her wonderful family in 2014. Throughout the years, we stayed connected, and they made me feel like part of their family. I felt a burning desire to help them create a better world for themselves and their loved ones.
Together, we came up with a plan—one that would allow Nona, the family’s grandmother, to care for her grandchildren while also having a flexible job that provided extra income to support them.
Yanantin Alpaca exists to break down the barriers that limit women in society.
The months before leaving Latin America in 2018 were devoted to starting Yanantin Alpaca. I bought knitting machines, brought kilos of alpaca yarn to El Alto, Bolivia, and worked closely with Nona until we found the perfect design for a beautiful, knitted scarf.
After five life-changing years in Latin America, I left with a sense of confidence and purpose. I registered Yanantin as a business, and with that, Yanantin Alpaca was officially born.
Inequality and limited opportunities are real challenges that hold people back. Yanantin is on a mission to break down those barriers. By focusing on small but meaningful changes, I believe we can offer people the chance to rewrite their stories. It’s about empowering individuals with the agency and strength to shape their futures.
Social Entrepreneurship
Empowering individuals to shape their futures starts with giving them the means to do so. I do this by providing working conditions that go beyond the ordinary: a great salary, training, and flexibility. To me, a truly fair salary is more than just the minimum wage—I don’t believe something minimum can have maximum impact. Yanantin pays a salary nine times higher than the local minimum wage. If you do the math, that means 10% of the price of each scarf goes straight to the woman who knits it. Quality over quantity, every time.