About Us

An innovative company of Sustainable Bio-trade working with butterfly farming in Colombia to preserve nature, generate income to rural communities and show the world a new face of our country.

In 2001 ALAS DE COLOMBIA, mariposas nativas Ltd., began butterfly breeding as a new alternative for sustainable development with  the rural community El Arenillo in Palmira city, Valle del Cauca, setting the 40 butterfly species breeding in the area.Thanks to that effort, opened a new line of non-traditional exports to our country that entered the butterfly  industry with regular shipments to Europe since 2004, demonstrating the benefits of BioTrade.
 

Company History

Visiting a butterfly exhibit in a different country, where the public could admire the beauty of butterflies imported from the tropics, let us found some similar species we used to see flying in our mountains, so we could realized the posibility of Colombia exporting butterflies some day.
 
Simultaneously Colombian environmental legislation established the opportunity for sustainable use of wildlife by farming processes in 2000.

The family vocation of helping the rural community and the wealth of butterflies in the area where our farm was, were the complement for the idea of the business, which became ALAS DE COLOMBIA, mariposas nativas Ltd. setted up on the 24th of September. Our aim: "breeding, conservation and use of butterflies within BioTrade criteria to meet national and international market."

Butterflies are indicators of the biodiversity of a region and the areas of the Company is particularly rich in variety of species: El Arenillo has about 300 species, 220 are identified taxonomically and 100 have the complete study of their life cycles. Rio Bravo, Darien, with a higher number of species not yet determined, it is one of the most famous regions of our country for its diversity of fauna and flora.

Developing its environmental license, ALAS DE COLOMBIA managed to create a model of self-employment for the production of butterflies with the community of El Arenillo in Palmira City and the indigenous group Embera Chami in Calima-Darien allowing to Colombia entering the industry of butterflies, with exports to Europe and the United States opening a new line of non-traditional exports to our country.
 
MISSION        VISION

To implement  butterflies breeding and their use based on sustainable Bio-Trade criteria to help raise awareness in Colombian population about the process of conservation and preservation of our  biodiversity.

Being the leading company in production and marketing of butterflies spreading their magic in Colombia and the world.               
 

Market

Colombia has been known worldwide for its wealth of butterflies that were taken out of the country illegally for more than 50 years. Currently, we have succeeded in demonstrating that legal trade with butterfly farming is the best alternative to assert what is ours.

Our first exports were dried specimens but since 2004, we focused on the export of live butterfly pupaes.

"The exhibition of live butterflies is a relatively young industry compared to other well-established as zoos and aviaries. The butterfly exhibit was first established in 1976 by Mr. David Lowe in Guernsey, Channel Island, and took no popularity until the next set in 1980 called The Butterfly House in London by Mr. Clive Farrell who subsequently opened another butterfly houses and extended influence to many people.

The first butterfly house in the tropical region was the Penang Butterfly Farm opened in March 1986, when there was already over 50 displays of live butterflies in the UK and continental Europe. In 1988, Butterfly World in Coconut Creek was opened in Florida, United States, followed by the Butterfly Center at Callaway Garden  in Georgia the same year. Since then, the industry has flourished and many large and medium-sized butterfly houses spread throughout the United States and Canada.

Behind this boom there is a strong phenomenon:  a new educational tool about nature was found, with great effects on motivation to the awareness of the fragility of nature.Immediately the general public, young and old, discovered the complexity and mystery of Mother Nature through metamorphosis and life history of butterflies."[1]

Countries like Costa Rica and Ecuador, are important producers from the Neotropics that supply the global demand, together with Malaysia, New Guinea and the Philippines.
 

INTERNATIONAL

1. Live butteflies in pupae stage of chrysalid for butterfly houses in non-tropical countries.
2. Crafts.

NATIONAL

1. Live butterflies in adult stage to release in celebrations and special events. Alive gifts such as "Maripupa" and butterflies in envelopes and special boxes.
2. Dry butterflies for decoration.
3. More than 40 references of hand made crafts with butterfly wings that have completed their life cicle  of 30 days average.

LEGAL SUPPORT

  • Environmental License 488, October 2nd/2002  CVC allowing butterfly farming  for commercial purposes.
  • Trademark ALAS DE COLOMBIA, mariposas ntivas, for conceptualization and presentation of all our products. Res.24047, Sep. 27th/04 Superintendency of Industry and Trade.
  • Permits issued by the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development for each export.
  • Permit DAGMA 0324, Sep. 28/06 for commercialization of all products.
  • Proexport Exporter Plan since 2003.
  • NIT 815003563-5
 

[1] David Goh, www.penangbutterflyfarm.com

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