If I start the song that many of us have sung as children, I’m sure you will follow it. Come on, I begin: “Alupé, alupé”, come on, do not be shy, “sentadita me quedé”. That’s what the protagonists of today’s post, Ici and Bego, thought when 11 years ago, on November 13, they decided to launch their brand, because they wanted something “catchy”. Did they succeed? Read on to give your opinion.
I followed Bego through the networks for many years now, from the moment I discovered her brand of toys Alupé. In fact, I must confess that Bego was my student when she was studying Pedagogy at the University of Deusto, and that was a few years ago ( time flies!). I really wanted her to “tell her story” and, finally, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, I had the opportunity to invite her and her sister and partner, Ici, to do so in a very special context: a program for the development of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial competence. The program is aimed at a group of students in the 1st and 3rd year of the Primary Education degree at the Faculty of Education and Sports of the University of Deusto. It is carried out thanks to the Educational Innovation Unit of the same university
The amount of plastic toys that surround children, their little contact with nature and the need for authentic play were, along with the work-life balance, some of the reasons that led these sisters to start their business project. They wanted to contribute something to society and after spending a month at a Christmas market, their first incursion into the real world of business, they have been traveling for 11 years now, going from weekend to weekend from market to market, visiting renowned fairs, accumulating new references (they have gone from 50 to 5200), adding suppliers (they already have around 100), making their toys visible through “tuppertoys”, parenting associations, txokos, pop-ups and, of course, social networks, reinventing themselves and working day by day in “something” they love and are passionate about: the world of quality wooden toys, because, as Ici says “with passion, everything works”.
What characterizes Alupé ‘s toys is their warmth, texture, smell, taste, the water-based paint that adorns them, their sustainability and the fact that they are biodegradable. By the way, nowadays, the toys are stored in an 800 square meter pavilion (that’s nothing), but 11 years ago they started in a basement, does that sound familiar?
Bego insists that they have “a lot of work, but it is very well rewarded”. The family atmosphere that Ici and Bego transmit is a reality among the eight people who make up the Alupé team. The value of the team and respect for each of the people who work there is, for them, a fundamental element.
I invite you to visit their website or browse their social networks. I am sure that there are still kids around us. Alupé is a reference brand that, if we have not yet discovered, I encourage you to do it today.
CONGRATULATIONS, Ici and Bego for these 11 years. That’s how it’s done.