When I first started kicking around the idea for Guadalupe Provisions, I spent a lot of time thinking about the name.
Somewhere along the way, while looking into the meaning of Guadalupe, I came across an old interpretation that translated roughly to “river of the wolf.”
Whether that’s the definitive origin of the word or not, it stuck with me immediately.
Maybe because wolves had already followed me around for most of my life.
When I was a kid, The Jungle Book was one of my favorite movies. I thought there was something incredibly cool about Mowgli being raised by wolves, living out there with them, belonging to the pack, and growing up in a world that was a little wilder than everyone else’s.
I probably didn’t think much deeper about it at the time. I just thought wolves were cool.
Years later, I ended up with one of my own.
Well… sort of.
Her name is Marley.
Marley was a mutt rescued from the pound, and she turned out to be about the greatest friend a man could ask for. She has always had a little bit of a wolf look to her, but it’s her personality that really fits.
She’s ready for just about anything.
Over the years, she’s been on hundreds of adventures with me. She’s swam down the Guadalupe River, climbed Enchanted Rock, gone backpacking, wandered trails, slept outside, and tagged along on more trips than I could ever count.
If I was going somewhere, Marley wanted to go too.
It didn’t matter much where.
That’s probably my favorite thing about her. She loves the adventure, but even more than that, she just loves being there with you.
So when Guadalupe Provisions needed a symbol, I didn’t want to grab some generic wolf and call it a day. The silhouette that became part of this brand was inspired by Marley.
That made it personal.
And as Guadalupe has grown, I’ve thought more about what that wolf actually represents.
For me, it comes down to four things.
Intuition. Trust your gut. Listen to that voice that tells you there might be something better down a different road.
Loyalty. Take care of your people. Show up for the friends and family who make life worth living.
Freedom. Leave yourself enough room to wander. To get outside. To chase an idea. To live a life that actually feels like yours.
And community. Because even a wild animal needs a pack.
That last one might sound like it contradicts freedom, but I don’t think it does. There’s something about being independent enough to find your own way while still knowing exactly who you’d want beside you when you get there.
That feels a lot like what we’re trying to build with Guadalupe.
So yeah, the wolf looks good on a hat.
But that isn’t really why it’s there.
It’s there because of an old interpretation of a name that caught my attention. Because of a childhood fascination I never completely grew out of. Because of a pound dog that became my adventure partner.
And because somewhere along the way, the wolf became a pretty good reminder of how I want to live:
Trust your instincts. Take care of your pack. Stay wild enough to wander.
That’s why the wolf.