The Great U.S. Civil War, Native Cotton, and the Emerging Textile Industry in Peru
By James M. Vreeland, Jr.Originally published in Revista Punto & Plano, Issue 46, May 2025, pp. 22–26Translation authorized by the author. Cultivated extensively in the warm coastal valley of Piura since 1922, Pima cotton ignited a true revolution in the global textile industry. Called by many “Peru’s white gold” for its extra-long, soft, and strong […]
Fair Trade Cloth Diapers from Peru Hit Finnish Market
Environmentally friendly cloth diapers are gaining traction in Finland. Now, a Fair Trade-certified version is available thanks to East 25 Oy, which has begun importing from Peru. The idea to produce and import washable diapers that meet Fair Trade standards originated at an informational event hosted by Finnpartnership and the Finnish Association for Fair Trade […]
Pima Cotton (IPA 59) Trial: A Historic Organic Harvest
In a landmark event for sustainable cotton cultivation, Dr. Juan Lazo, director of the Instituto Peruano del Algodón (IPA), visited the first experimental organic cotton field of the Pima IPA 59 variety. This innovative trial took place on the Hilbck family’s farm in Alto Piura and marked the world’s first cultivation of this promising variety […]
Amazon Kidney Cotton: Rediscovering a Rare Native Variety
In July 2019, during a routine field visit to the Shipibo-Konibo indigenous community in Yarinacocha, Ucayali, anthropologist Dr. James M. Vreeland, Jr. discovered a towering cotton plant—over 3 meters tall—with a highly unusual seed formation. Known as “kidney cotton” for its tightly packed seeds resembling a human kidney, this variety had not been formally documented […]