[AlpacaTalk] what can you do to help
Hi Carla,
Nice to meet you! I hope you dont mind me posting this
information to AlpacaTalk. I feel that it is important
for everyone to read. I certainly am not expert on the
subject of how to make the future viable, but I can
definitely tell you what I think.
The only way we are going to get our alpacas to be
worth something is to get the fiber industry going at
full speed. We can't rely on AFCNA because they (In my
opinion) are very narrow minded in what they want to
produce. They have all the leg hair and high micron
fleece sitting in a warehouse when they could be
producing rugs out of it and making $1000 or more for
one area rug. They are only manufacturing "classic"
looks (ie. preppy clothes) to older people that will
have their clothes for season after season and who
consider alpaca heirloom quality. This is nice, but it
does not increase sales when you are marketing to
people over 50 who keep their clothes for a long time.
I think we should be marketing to young girls who read
fashion magazines and spend tons of money of clothes.
The people who shop at Banana Republic, etc. They want
fashionable clothing and are willing to pay for it or
ask their parents to buy it for them. I don't really
care if it gets sent to Goodwill next season, because
we can be making money over and over to those young
people who keep buying clothes in the latest styles
and colors.
Another way to do it is to sell to boutiques in places
like Mendocino, Vail, Aspen, NYC, etc. Ski resorts.
Market high end products to people who spend the
money. If we start making money from those people, our
alpacas will still retain their value since the fiber
is in high demand.
Another idea I had is to donate gorgeous scarves to
the Oscars or other awards shows that give out
expensive gift baskets. One mention in US Weekly or
another magazine will get our fiber industry kick
started! I emailed the Academy to find out how to
donate products and they have discontinued the baskets
due to the stars being taxed on the products they
receive.
I have seen on The View (I mention this because the
owner of Rosehaven Alpacas works as the stage manager
for the show) the guests ALWAYS complain about having
horrible gift baskets. Why not give out scarves to the
guests? It really does not take very much yarn to make
a scarf. But, the style has to be "in and hip" to get
those stars interested. The products can not be old
fashioned, oatmeal colored boring products that young
people do not want. I like the natural colors too, but
it is not the only thing out there. We have to appeal
to everyone. Most shows with guests give gift baskets
of some sort.
We have been raising alpacas for 10 years and we have
done nothing to get the fiber industry moving. Now, we
have motorized knitting machines and looms and are
going to get products produced in our workshop to
sell. We also plan to make knitted alpaca yardage,
ribbing, and woven fabric to sell to fabric stores
that specialize in natural fibers and people can make
their own sweaters and skirts just by cutting out the
fabric and sewing with a serger. There is a large
market for this. My sister and I are going to make our
own rugs. She is interested in making woven rugs
(among other things) and I would like to make pile
rugs, area rugs, runners, and door mats (indoor) with
designs on them.
There is so much to be done. I was in Staples a few
weeks ago and saw the most ugly red acrylic knitted
book cover. I think it went for $15. We can sell these
items in alpaca too, and they wont be tacky.
Not everyone is interested in actually making the
products. That is fine, they should be able to get
paid for the fiber or get product back to sell. I have
heard of people selling the trimmings from topknots to
tackle shops to sell to people that tie flies. I have
also heard that alpaca has an insulative value of 98.
The fiberglass stuff only goes to R-49 I think. You
can make it into batts (or have it made) and insulate
your house. If we have enough, we could market this to
eco friendly home builders. This is a HUGE market,
especially since there are so many people with
allergies.
There is an alpaca breeder that belongs to this site
(Peter Lundberg- Elderberry Creek Alpacas) who is
talking with Pendleton Wool Mills about getting them
to start using alpaca at their mill to make blankets.
There are so many things we can do to get our industry
booming and retain the value of our herds!
We can market our yarns to yarn stores and ask them to
stock it.
Those are just some of the things that can be done. I
am sure there are many more. The main thing is doing
something. We don't have any more time to waste.
I think this business is at a crossroads now. We have
two choices...
Steph
--- CARLA0@aol.com wrote:
> Hello Steph,
> I'm a newbie...getting started..trying to learn all
> I can in the next few
> months before I buy my alpacas...we have a lot of
> land and we could really grow
> a heard...but I keep seeing some problems come up
> with the future of
> alpacas...I wanted to email you and ask you to
> please tell me how we can help..you
> had said one farm at time...so before I begin...how
> can I start to help? we
> really dont have that many farms here in South
> Carolina...so I hope to become a
> mentor...any ideas?
> I too want to raise these beautiful animals..but
> want to help all the others
> too!
> Thank you
>
>
>
> Carla Martin
> Bedrock Acres
> South Carolina
> _http://www.bedrocka
> (http://www.bedrocka
>
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posted by Chaddo at 1:55 PM
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