Morpheus and Gabe

Alpacas have lived in the harsh South American Andes since around 1000 BC. Native people from the Andean region domesticated the alpaca and soon developed an industry that focused on their care and the products they produced.

Alpacas provided meat, hides, and textiles that were used in trade for products grown in other regions of South America. Clothing made from alpaca fleece was warm and provided protection necessary to survive in the harsh conditions. Through many years of sophisticated breeding programs, the Incan people greatly improved the alpaca fiber, which had developed into a very high quality fleece reserved only for Incan royalty.

Characteristics of alpaca fiber:

• Very lightweight and fine structure.
• Incredibly soft...similar to cashmere.
• Hypoallergenic (alpaca fleece has no lanolin)
• Significant thermal capacity

Athena and Cali

Alpacas were imported to the US beginning in 1984. The US closed the registration of imported alpacas in 1998. Today, in the US, the alpaca industry is still dominated by breeders as there continues to be a high demand for the animals. The focus over the next 10 - 20 years will shift to fiber production. The importance of breeding alpacas to produce the finest quality fleece to support the future alpaca fiber industry is extremely important. The current demand for high quality alpaca fiber far exceeds current supply. Alpacas are also raised in Australia, Europe, Japan, South America and Canada.