Carolina Polanco and her husband, Jose Alberto, wanted to start Alpaca Distribution to serve a need in the Hazleton area. That desire to serve came full circle for the couple when CAN DO was there to support their needs as they started their new venture.

Alpaca Distribution is one of several new clients to move into the CAN BE Innovation Center in the Valmont Industrial Park in the last few months. Alpaca – a name created by the combination of letters from the names of Jose Alberto, his daughter, Paola, and Carolina – is a wholesale food distributor of dry goods and supplies for restaurants and supermarkets. The company sells an extensive list of name-brand products throughout Greater Hazleton, including brands like Kraft, Sara Lee, Goya, and more.

Alpaca Distribution co-founders Carolina and Jose Alberto Polanco recently moved operations for their wholesale food distribution company into the CAN BE Innovation Center.Polanco said she decided to start the company when she realized that the demand from businesses in the area was far outweighing the local supply. Although Polanco had the business and supply chain knowledge, she still needed assistance to turn those ideas into a business reality. She said she found that help working with CAN DO Director of Economic Development Jocelyn Sterenchock at CAN BE.

“Besides helping entrepreneurs grow in their new adventures, CAN BE gave us the advice, direction, and facilities so we can become more confident in our new business idea,” Polanco said. “Jocelyn has been an angel! We have worked with her to craft several different business ideas over the years and every time she was more than happy to help. Jocelyn is the type of person who does not say ‘no’ and I just love that about her. Working with her has always been easy and pleasant. She is very professional.”

Polanco also praised the recent renovations that were completed at the CAN BE Innovation Center. “I just love the facility - everything from the parking lot to the kitchen. And I have to say, whoever had the idea for the conference room, it was great!” she said.

Now that Alpaca has secured their distribution space within CAN BE, the company is already looking ahead. Currently, the company only sells dry goods but plans to expand to offering fresh and frozen products within the next six to eight months. Polanco added that she doesn’t look at Alpaca Distribution as just another place for businesses to get their products but as a partner that understands their need to get supplies in an efficient way.

“We strive to provide high quality products at the best price to restaurants and supermarkets in the community. My husband and I are familiar with the Hazleton area community and its needs,” she said. “By suppling products in a business-to-business environment from a local facility, Alpaca will be able to deliver needed supplies without the increased delivery charges that can come from working with wholesalers outside the area. This local knowledge, along with the advantage of being a local distributor, will allow Alpaca to establish itself as the premier supplier of goods in the Hazleton area.”  

Alpaca Distribution projects to service merchants primarily within the Greater Hazleton area during its initial start-up phase but is hoping to expand to clients within the Allentown and Philadelphia markets, as well as parts of New York and New Jersey, as the company grows. The company, which plans to hire 10-15 employees over the next three years, hopes to open move into a larger facility within the next three to five years, making CAN BE a perfect starting point.

When asked if she would recommend other entrepreneurs look into CAN BE and its services, Polanco was enthusiastic in saying “For sure! It will be one of the best decisions they can to grow their business.”