When we first were thinking about getting into the alpaca business, we were most drawn to the animals themselves.  Alpacas are just beautiful to look at, especially when they are in their full fleece.  They are gentle on the land.  They are curious, yet cautious. As we studied more about alpacas, we found that their fleece actually has some amazing properties. 

The fleece is the “fur” on alpacas.  It grows very fast and very thick.  When going to alpaca shows, it is the fleece that is judged the most.  The judges look at the length, the crimp (waviness), density, and organization of the fleece while on the alpaca as well as some of its other attributes.  Once a year, the fleece is sheared.  This usually takes place in May for us.  The fleece is extremely hot for the alpacas, especially during the winter, so the alpacas have to have the fleece removed (sheared) in order to stay cool.  It would actually be inhumane to not shear an alpaca as they could start to suffer from the effects of heat stress.