ABOUT ALPACAS

The alpaca is an outstanding example of domesticated selective breeding.

It is a people friendly, earth-friendly, easily-managed farm animal that during the 15th Century produced a fleece that assisted the building of one of the greatest Empires known to man, that of the ancient Incas.

Unfortunately, 500 years ago the Spanish conquerors, failing to see the potential of the alpaca, preferred the Merino sheep of their native Spain. Sadly, the industry fell into disarray for several centuries due to the annihilation of the alpaca population by the introduction of European stock diseases, mismanagement and turbulent politics.

Then in the early 19th Century, with very limited quantities available for textile manufacturing, Europe developed a craving for alpaca having discovered its unique properties more by accident than visionary enquiry.

From this evolved a textile industry in Peru with exports of fleece, especially to Japan, Korea and Europe, maintaining a thriving industry.
The animal however, remained locked in its South American homelands due to lack of disease control. In fact it was not until the 1980’s that the export of camelid was permitted, first to the United States and then to Australia, via New Zealand.