Peruvian pleasures – meet ÄYA Alpaca founders Dale Hoole and Crystal Chiu

Alpacas, native to the Andean regions of Peru, are known for their cuteness as well as their soft and luxurious fleece, which has been prized for thousands of years. These adorable creatures are an integral part of Peruvian culture and provide fibers that are not only warm and durable but also hypoallergenic. While you won’t find many alpacas in Hong Kong, their influence is present thanks to ÄYA Alpaca, an affordable luxury brand founded by Dale Hoole and Crystal Chiu. This couple has made it their mission to bring the natural, ethical and sustainable artistry of Peruvian alpaca products to Asia.

From shawls, cardigans and scarves to slippers, blankets and even alpaca toys and keepsakes, Dale and Crystal have sought to connect Hong Kong with Mother Nature through their unique alpaca line. The brand embodies the belief that only by healing ourselves can we truly care for the environment around us. They’ve recently opened their first flagship store at The Southside in Wong Chuk Hang. 

“ÄYA is short for the medicine known as Ayahuasca, which is also known as the vine of the dead or the vine of the soul,” explains Dale. “It can take you to heavenly states, as a vine can creep up a tree to the sky, but it can also go very low as well.” The name carries meanings across cultures and reflects Dale and Crystal’s high vibrational and spiritual roots. TMS caught up with the minds behind ÄYA Alpaca to learn more about how they brought this element of Peruvian heritage to the bustling city of Hong Kong.

Romance, business and baby alpacas

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With a deep interest in inner healing, the two have always been on a quest for purpose. Dale spent the first 30 years of his life in North Yorkshire, England, before life brought him to Asia. “I was in a little part of my life when I felt stuck,” admits Dale. “I didn't have much official education, not much direction.”

Encouraged by his brother, who assured him, “I’ve got you covered. I’ll sort you out for whatever you need,” Dale moved to Taiwan. He started off as an English teacher but soon resumed studying massage and worked alongside a chiropractor, rediscovering his passions for the physical, as he used to participate in martial arts, like kung fu and kickboxing. He then began teaching yoga in Taiwan and was sent to Hong Kong by his company after five years.

Crystal, on the other hand, was born in Hong Kong but grew up in Australia. After an underwhelming college experience, she decided to switch gears and began training as a massage therapist. This new direction led her to work on a cruise ship in the US before returning to Melbourne, where the itch for travel took hold again. She eventually landed back in Hong Kong, where she worked as a massage therapist for about 17 years before fully dedicating herself to ÄYA Alpaca.

Dale and Crystal, partners in both business and in life, eventually co-founded ÄYA Alpaca over a love of Peru and their shared sense of spirituality. But how did life bring them together? “She was stalking me,” jokes Dale. Both had been working at Pure Yoga in Hong Kong and had occasional run-ins at the studio. But it wasn’t until after Crystal had left the company that the two got in touch and went out. 

“I remember her being a kind-of happy-go-lucky personality,” Dale says, recalling the times they ran into each other at Pure. “She was known as the sunshine girl, and yeah, beautiful energy,” says Dale. But he admits feeling a little awkward around her. “I didn’t know if it was because I actually liked her or her happiness was a threat to my sadness,” he says with a chuckle, describing himself as feeling unstable at the time. “He’s a drama queen,” Crystal chimes in under her breath with a smile.

After a bit of touch and go over Facebook, Dale recalls sending a casual message telling her something along the lines of, “Oh, every time I see your face, it always makes me smile.” So Crystal then suggested they meet and catch up. The two went out for a packed day, with lunch, a walk in the park, a massage and a movie. “It was like four dates in one day,” Dale says. If that wasn’t enough, “Randomly, it wasn’t planned, but we ended up in the same taxi together,” says Dale, recalling Crystal’s head lying in his lap. “Literally within a few days after that, I was proper in love,” he says.

Ayahuasca, a door to the spiritual world

Ayahuasca retreats are guided spiritual experiences that are common in parts of South America. While Dale was familiar with Ayahuasca, Crystal initially had no intention of participating. “I was like, ‘No, I don’t want to do Ayahuasca; you go do it, and then I’ll meet you afterward,’” she says, recalling one of their trips to Peru. But then, in a “when in Rome” moment, she decided to join Dale in the experience, and this deepened their connection to each other and became part of the vision that would eventually inspire ÄYA Alpaca. “I went in there without any expectations, which I believe is the best thing to do. I also didn’t have any intentions because intentions can become expectations as well,” Crystal reflects.

While having participated in several Ayahuasca treats since then, Crystal doesn’t exactly label herself as a “spiritual person.” She explains, “I’ve always been drawn to wellness, and the spirituality side just came along. I like to see beyond the physical. I like to feel beyond the physical.” 

To Dale, there are many different ways people come into connection with the spiritual world. For some, “They come into it through, let’s say, joining a yoga class,” says Dale. While for others, “It’s more instant,” he says. There may be something that happens, like a near-death experience, that makes them look at life through a different lens. Finally, there are those that are brought up with it. “It’s infused into their personality from an early age.” 

The most spiritual person Dale says he’s ever known was his mother. “She was a terminal care worker, a counselor … She had a very different way of looking at life,” he says. “I think spirituality is the beginning of the opening of the heart, but it requires an opening of the mind, ideally simultaneously, for that to happen,” Dale explains. “Because the heart usually can only open as much as the mind is open.” In his eyes, spirituality is the understanding that we, as people, are all one. Dale says that much of that is realized through traveling the world. “You realize that everyone, we’re just people. So that’s kind of my path into spirituality.” 

The birth of ÄYA – bringing Peruvian alpaca goods to Asia

After a trip to Peru, Dale decided to bring back some Peruvian blankets as gifts for his students. What started as a small side business soon evolved into something more significant, leading to the creation of ÄYA Alpaca. “We didn’t have a name. But we had these new products, these new baby alpaca products. And then these university students, one was a photographer, Iranian, and then the other one was Turkish, and she’s a businesswoman ... they were amazing. They had belief in us, the product,” Dale recalls. “They were the groundwork, really.”

The business was first named Baby Alpaca, but that eventually changed. “The name of ÄYA just sounds really, really soft and beautiful. It does sound very feminine,” Dale explains. The name references Ayahuasca, known for taking one on a journey through different realms – sometimes to vibrant, joyful places, other times to connect with those who have passed. “Just a full spectrum of experiences,” Dale says.

With the best intentions in mind, “What you want is not always what you need,” Dale reflects. “Mother Aya tends to give you what you need.” In Peru, alpacas and their products are everywhere, so it was no surprise that these items became a hit in Hong Kong. “Nobody else has them in Hong Kong,” Crystal notes. “It is such a fantastic fiber that nobody knows about in this part of the world.”

Their brand quickly gained the title of an affordable luxury product. “We really wanted to bring that to Asia, because nobody is doing it, and that’s how ÄYA started.” Bringing the alpaca products to a pop-up store on Wellington Street, ÄYA was yet to emerge. “At that time, ÄYA wasn’t ÄYA yet. We didn’t have a name. But we had these products,” Crystal says. “These baby alpaca products.” 

When asked what it’s like running a business as a couple, Crystal laughs and says, “Don’t do it,” as Dale agrees. They admit that it’s brought stress and hardships. But ultimately, the ethos that drives them and ÄYA encourages them to embrace, connect and not run away. 

“It’s like, ‘OK, I’ve got some tools in my bag; can I use those tools to minimize the stress?’” says Dale. “But at the same time, that stress allows you to see yourself in a different way.”

In the bustling city of Hong Kong, with the rumbling of cars, vibrations of construction and towering industrial buildings, how does one stay grounded? Despite the city’s chaos, Dale and Crystal maintain personal rituals to stay connected. “We have rituals. This morning, she was in the bedroom doing meditation. I was doing Pranayama in the living room, followed by a mini meditation ... you need your rituals. That ritual might be going to the gym. It might be doing yoga. It might be reading a book. All these things are just ways to kind of ground you,” Dale shares.

Mending the disconnect from nature

Dale and Crystal are deeply committed to addressing the environmental crisis through their business and lifestyle. “Sometimes we get separated from this understanding that the Earth is our provider; it’s our mother,” explains Dale. “You wouldn’t treat your mother in the same ways that you’re treating the Earth if the Earth was a person. … I need the rivers perhaps as much as the river’s need me.” This philosophy underpins ÄYA Alpaca’s approach to sustainability, urging a reconnection with the natural world through the products they offer.

For example, in their Palo Santo products, they only use dead trees and fallen branches. The store’s furnishings are made from recycled wood, and  ÄYA Alpaca’s packaging is also natural and reusable. Also, no alpacas are harmed in the making of these luxuriously soft textiles. A yearly haircut provides the fibers they need to create their fair trade blankets and other alpaca products.

The couple explains that, as humans, we tend to live seeing ourselves as separate from the elements of the Earth. “We identify ourselves as being separate from the water, the air, the Earth, that in the same way, if I feel I’m separate to you, perhaps part of me feels that I could hurt you and not feel the same hurt,” says Dale. Because of that feeling of disconnect, without a thought of the consequences, responsibilities take their leave.

“We’re living in a way which makes us feel like we are getting away with our actions,” he says. Those responsibilities that we may be ignoring become burdens that are passed on from generation to generation. “But usually, by then, it’s too late,” he says. 

According to Dale, the solution is as simple as self-love. “If I fully love myself, why would I hurt you?” proposes Dale. Loving yourself has a ripple effect that goes far beyond the self and the ego. “When you love yourself, you’ll realize that we’re all one. I am you; you are me,” Crystal adds. “When you love yourself, you actually love everything because we’re all one.”