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Community Spotlight: Mariana Cevallos- Alluvia Packraft

Mariana Cevallos, Founder of Alluvia Packraft, holding one of the packable boats

Meet Mariana Cevallos, Founder and CEO of Alluvia Packraft, makers of lightweight, packable, inflatable boats suitable for outdoor sports enthusiasts. 

Originally from Lima, Peru, Mariana moved to Colorado in 2015, where she instantly fell in love with the local nature and outdoor activities. When Mariana began packrafting with her husband Mike in 2019, she quickly noticed a lack of minority representation within the sport, inspiring her to make a difference. Soon after, Mariana and Mike started Alluvia Packraft; manufacturers with the purpose to donate three percent of profits to creating a more inclusive, diverse, and safe outdoor community!

About Alluvia Packraft

Mariana and Mike began Alluvia Packraft in 2019. Based in downtown Grand Junction, Colorado, Alluvia Packrafts are lightweight, packable, inflatable boats. These rafts can pack down to the size of a roll of paper towels and weigh less than eight pounds! 

Currently, Alluvia Packraft has two raft options available on their website:

  • The Dirty Devil is highly versatile and suitable for Class II waters. 

  • The Gunny Gorge is slightly larger and more suitable for challenging whitewater rafting.

Alluvia Packrafts are limited. Be sure to purchase yours now, before it’s too late!

Keep up with Alluvia Packraft on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to be one of the first to see the new products.

Challenges Faced

Alluvia Packraft experienced major supply chain delays as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Mariana reflects,

“Our manufacturer is overseas, and being unable to visit them is extremely difficult because you want to know who you’re working with. So, we had to become resourceful and conduct research on our own to find someone.”

Demystifying Entrepreneurship Series

In the summer of 2021, Mariana attended StartUps to ScaleUps and Shore Up, part of the Deming Center’s Demystifying Entrepreneurship Workshops! She comments on her experience,

“I knew the topics were going to be valuable for our company, so I signed up right away. It was extremely useful to take a step back and look at the business as a whole. In the StartUp to ScaleUp workshop, I realized we were missing many things that we needed in order to scale up”

She continued,

“In the Shore Up workshop, we learned a lot more in-depth about marketing, human resources, hiring processes, and operations.”

Since attending Demystifying Entrepreneurship Workshops, Alluvia Packrafts placed first in Startup Colorado’s Founders CO-OPetition, and are preparing for the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator in May. 

If you are considering starting a company or currently running a small business, register now for this summer’s Demystifying Entrepreneurship Workshops! Check out the upcoming schedule:

Demystifying Native Entrepreneurship | May 13 & 14 | Ignacio, CO

StartUp to ScaleUp | July 22 & 23 | Sterling, CO

Shore Up Finale | September 30 & October 1 | Telluride, CO

StartUp to ScaleUp | October 14 & 15 | Hayden, CO