San de Wilde & Bart Cop
Alpacas Ibiza
“The magic of working together is that you are sharing your passion”
How did you meet and what inspires you most about each other?
Bart: We met on a blind date, through some friends, and 26 years later we are still together. What inspires me about her is her creativity and honesty, and San says she is inspired by my sense of adventure and my interest in discovering new things and learning more in life.
What do you each individually contribute to the relationship and the business?
San: I could compare it to the moment when two people ride a bicycle. Sometimes we go in the same direction, but depending on the situations, the mood and the emotions, sometimes one of us stops and the other continues pushing. There is a constant change of positions. And that is the power of being together. It’s never one or the other, it’s always the two of us.
What big challenges have you had to overcome?
B: Five years ago we made the decision to come to Ibiza to start the alpaca farm, after getting ready to do so for a long time. The biggest challenge was leaving everything behind to start something different and new in a different country.
Why do you think it is better to work together than separately?
B: The magic of working together is that you share your passion. When we worked on different things we felt distant, and we no longer have that obstacle.
Any advice you can give us about work-life balance?
B and S: Have open communication, make sure you share the passion and lifestyle you truly want. It is important because we did not come to Ibiza to make money, we chose to live in nature and give the animals the best life possible. I think that’s good advice, because once money is involved, you forget about the important things.
