This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Katie Lorenz, founder and owner of Campo Alpaca.
This Madison-based fair trade clothing company was founded in 2018 after Lorenz traveled to Peru several years before that, when she first encountered garments made from alpaca fleece. She was motivated to launch the business by the lack of compensation that local artisans, mainly women, were getting for their work.
“We work in Peru with artisan groups, small businesses and families that I actually found while I was travelling,” she said. “They create the products end-to-end down in Peru, and then we sell Alpaca clothing to niche markets in the United States.”
Her inspiration came in local markets in Peru, where vendors sell handcrafted products with traditional designs in bright colors. After trying out an alpaca sweater for several weeks during her travels, Lorenz sought out a version in red and white to wear to Wisconsin Badgers games at Camp Randall.
Read the full story here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2025/wisbusiness-the-podcast-with-katie-lorenz-campo-alpaca/