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    Case of the month

    Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma

    Grupo Inca faced a pivotal decision: capitalize on a rare market opportunity or champion biodiversity conservation. Once abundant, black alpacas are now endangered due to shifting consumer preferences. Fashion innovators, the Inoue brothers, seek to revive this lost fiber through a luxury collection. Should Grupo Inca take the risk, partner for sustainability, or maintain the status quo? The case delves into ethical strategy, innovation, and long-term impact.

    Vanina Farber, Carolina Duran Silva, Baris Silahcioglu, Hugo ten Zijthoff, and Shih-Han Huan
    May 2025
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    BEST-SELLERS
    Best-Selling Case Studies
  • Rituals Cosmetics: Building the world’s leading well-being brand in Asia

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    Case reference: IMD-7-2411, ©2023
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    By Carlos Cordon and Nick Georgiev

    Case reference: IMD-7-2451, ©2023
  • Future-proofing HEINEKEN: The EverGreen strategy

    By Niccolò Pisani and Inès Augier

    Case reference: IMD-7-2423, ©2023
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    Case reference: IMD-2661, ©2025
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    By Sophie Bacq, Valerie Keller-Birrer and Ruth Shalom Kinyua

    Case reference: IMD-7-2632, ©2025
  • Aluminium Cyclo Enterprises Malaysia: How to manage a supply chain disruption?

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  • Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (B)

    By Vanina Farber, Carolina Duran Silva, Baris Silahcioglu, Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang

    Case reference: IMD-7-2610, ©2024
  • Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (A)

    By Vanina Farber, Carolina Duran Silva, Baris Silahcioglu, Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang

    Case reference: IMD-7-2609, ©2024
  • Moon Creative Lab: Mitsui’s venture studio

    By Benoit F. Leleux, Jim Pulcrano, Adam Hansson Tönning, Alexandra Loboda, Anette Papuga and Daisuke Shinohara

    Case reference: IMD-7-2544, ©2024
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    Rituals Cosmetics: Building the world’s leading well-being brand in Asia
    By Dominique Turpin and Sandeep Puri
    Case reference: IMD-7-2411 ©2023
    Summary
    Rituals, founded in the Netherlands in 2000 by Raymond Cloosterman, has had double digit growth over the last 15 years. It had taken the European b…
    Best-selling Case Study
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    Reference IMD-7-2411
    Copyright ©2023
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Rituals Cosmetics
    Industry Consumer Goods, Cosmetics and Perfumes
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Marketing
    General Management
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    Apple’s supply chain transformation
    By Carlos Cordon and Nick Georgiev
    Case reference: IMD-7-2451 ©2023
    Summary
    In 2022, Apple lost US$1.5 billion in Black Friday sales due to iPhone supply constraints. One in three retail stores across the US and Europe expe…
    Best-selling Case Study
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    Reference IMD-7-2451
    Copyright ©2023
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Apple
    Industry Consumer Goods, Consumer Electronics
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Operations
    Strategy
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    Future-proofing HEINEKEN: The EverGreen strategy
    By Niccolò Pisani and Inès Augier
    Case reference: IMD-7-2423 ©2023
    Summary
    Dolf van den Brink, CEO of HEINEKEN, left the company’s global headquarters in Amsterdam for a company retreat. Over the next three days, the entir…
    The Case Centre Awards and Competitions 2025 – Strategy and General Management Category; 2023 EFMD Case Writing Competition Award – Continuous Improvement: The Journey to Excellence Category
    Best-selling Case Study
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    Reference IMD-7-2423
    Copyright ©2023
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization HEINEKEN
    Industry Consumer Goods, Beer
    Available Languages English
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    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Digital
    Disruption
    Sustainability
    Global Business
    Leadership
    Strategy
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    Candles Killer: Lighting up the world at the bottom of the pyramid
    By Winter Nie and Yunfei Feng
    Case reference: IMD-2661 ©2025
    Summary
    Shenzhen Power-Solution (SPS), founded in 2009 in China as an entrepreneurial venture, disrupted traditional lighting markets in African villages w…
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    Reference IMD-2661
    Copyright ©2025
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Shenzhen Power-Solution
    Industry Energy;Utilities, Electricity Supply;Consumer Goods, Consumer Electronics
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Sustainability
    Customer Centricity
    Innovation
    Strategy
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    The new protein buzz: Can Legendary Foods Africa feed the world with insects
    By Sophie Bacq Valerie Keller-Birrer and Ruth Shalom Kinyua
    Case reference: IMD-7-2632 ©2025
    Summary
    The case describes Legendary Foods Africa, a food-tech company founded in 2020 in Ghana by Canadian entrepreneur Shobhita Soor. Legendary Foods Afr…
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    Reference IMD-7-2632
    Copyright ©2025
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Legendary Foods Africa
    Industry Consumer Goods, Food and Beverage
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Entrepreneurship
    Sustainability
    Social Innovation
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    Aluminium Cyclo Enterprises Malaysia: How to manage a supply chain disruption?
    By Dominique Turpin Anamaya Narain Singh Cyril Darlong Diengdoh and Sandeep Puri
    Case reference: IMD-2665 ©2025
    Summary
    In 2024, the management of Aluminium Cyclo Enterprises (ACE), was concerned that the European Union (EU) export rules for ferrous and non-ferrous s…
    Read more
    Reference IMD-2665
    Copyright ©2025
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Industry Manufacturing, Metal Products
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Marketing
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    Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (B)
    By Vanina Farber Carolina Duran Silva Baris Silahcioglu Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang
    Case reference: IMD-7-2610 ©2024
    Summary
    Picking up where Case A ends, Case B reveals that Grupo Inca decided to innovate internally and develop a new fabric from the rare black alpaca fib…
    2024 EFMD Case Writing Competition Award – Responsible Business Category
    Read more
    Reference IMD-7-2610
    Copyright ©2024
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Grupo Inca
    Industry Manufacturing, Textile
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Social Innovation
    Business Ethics
    Sustainability
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    Related content
    Case Study
    Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (A)

    Grupo Inca, a conglomerate that owned Peru’s leading textile business with a long history of working with alpaca fleece, was at a crossroads regard…

    Social Innovation Business Ethics Sustainability
    2024 EFMD Case Writing Competition Award – Responsible Business Category; The Case Centre Awards and Competitions Winner 2025 – Outstanding Compact Case
    By Vanina Farber, Carolina Duran Silva, Baris Silahcioglu, Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang
    Case reference: IMD-7-2609, © 2024
    Read more
    Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (A)
    By Vanina Farber Carolina Duran Silva Baris Silahcioglu Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang
    Case reference: IMD-7-2609 ©2024
    Summary
    Grupo Inca, a conglomerate that owned Peru’s leading textile business with a long history of working with alpaca fleece, was at a crossroads regard…
    2024 EFMD Case Writing Competition Award – Responsible Business Category; The Case Centre Awards and Competitions Winner 2025 – Outstanding Compact Case
    Read more
    Reference IMD-7-2609
    Copyright ©2024
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Grupo Inca
    Industry Manufacturing, Textile
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Social Innovation
    Business Ethics
    Sustainability
    Browse all topics
    Related content
    Case Study
    Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (B)

    Picking up where Case A ends, Case B reveals that Grupo Inca decided to innovate internally and develop a new fabric from the rare black alpaca fib…

    Social Innovation Business Ethics Sustainability
    2024 EFMD Case Writing Competition Award – Responsible Business Category
    By Vanina Farber, Carolina Duran Silva, Baris Silahcioglu, Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang
    Case reference: IMD-7-2610, © 2024
    Read more
    Moon Creative Lab: Mitsui’s venture studio
    By Benoit F. Leleux Jim Pulcrano Adam Hansson Tönning Alexandra Loboda Anette Papuga and Daisuke Shinohara
    Case reference: IMD-7-2544 ©2024
    Summary
    This case follows the steps taken by Kaichi Yokoyama, Moon Creative Lab’s CEO, to establish the entity as a pioneering venture studio and entrepren…
    2024 EFMD Case Writing Competition Award – Continuous Improvement: The Journey to Excellence Category
    Read more
    Reference IMD-7-2544
    Copyright ©2024
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Moon Creative Lab, Mitsui Group
    Industry Finance and Insurance, Venture Capital
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

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    Entrepreneurship
    Venture Capital
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    Niccolò Pisani

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    elea Professor of Social Innovation and Dean of the IMD EMBA program

     

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