Happy 30th Birthday to us!

 

Since April 1992, when Nick Brown formed a partnership with Creaciones Miquelina in Bogotá, Colombia, Páramo has protected people outdoors with high performance, sustainable and award-winning clothing.

Páramo was born 30 years ago when our founder, Nick, was introduced to Sister Esther Castaño Mejia who was running a small sewing workshop, Creaciones Miquelina, offering practical help to vulnerable women from the streets of Bogotá, Colombia. The workshop provided training and experience enabling women to apply for jobs in other factories, although it was not a commercially viable manufacturer at this stage with twenty women working on just two second hand sewing machines.

 

Sister Esther was in need of a visionary partner willing to help the charity grow and so the production of Nick’s directional waterproof garments began, Páramo was launched and Miquelina – named after Sister Micaela, the founder of the order – was on the path to charitable foundation status. 30 years on, there are now 150 women working for Páramo in Bogotá and a further 50 based in East Sussex.

In February 2022 our alliance was cemented further with not only the integration of the Miquelina factory into the Páramo business, but also our transition to an Employee Owned Trust.

“Over the years, I have loved seeing the pictures and hearing the stories of you all enjoying your Páramo kit in the great outdoors and we will celebrate our 30th year with some fantastic stories of our own. We are extremely proud of everything we have achieved and the next 30 years promise to be just as exciting as we continue on our journey producing innovative yet sustainable high performance clothing, whilst having a positive social impact.” Richard Pyne, Páramo Commercial Director,

30 years of Páramo highlights:

1992: Páramo was born and production at Creaciones Miquelina in Bogotá, Colombia commences.
1999: Our workshop is established at our East Sussex HQ, enabling the repair and alteration of Páramo garments.
2002: Creaciones Miquelina attains ISO 9001 accreditation, which provides the basis for effective people to deliver effective processes and product/service continually.
2006: Our Trees for Life partnership was seeded, with our charitable donations helping to rewild the Scottish Highlands.
2007: We launched our carbon balancing initiative, working with the World Land Trust to offset operational carbon emissions.
2010: The Ethical Consumer Magazine Best Buy Label is awarded to Páramo.
2012: Páramo Re-Store Adventure is launched, helping to save clothing from landfill and providing a safe route for the disposal of unwanted garments.
2014: Páramo clothing production becomes guaranteed PFAS-free.
2016: We are the first outdoor company to sign on to the Greenpeace Detox commitment, and we are awarded a Guardian Sustainable Business Award.
2017: Miquelina attains guaranteed Fair Trade status from the World Fair Trade Organization.
2021: Páramo is awarded GOLD in The Great Outdoors Magazine Readers Awards, securing 50% of the vote in the Outdoor Clothing and Equipment Brand of the Year category. We also received recognition from readers of Which? Magazine.
2022: Páramo integrates the Miquelina factory into its business, transitions to an Employee Owned Trust, and we celebrate our 30th birthday!

2022 is a momentous year for us and from April 22nd we will be sharing exciting and engaging 30th birthday activity on our website and social media feeds, and in our newsletters. Our brand would not be what it is today without 30 years of support and loyalty from you, our Páramo People, and we are excited to celebrate with you…

 

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