Part I: Research and Planning
For many years alpaca breeders threw their alpacas’ fleeces in a closet and, like Scarlett O’Hara, thought to themselves, "I’ll think about it tomorrow." The next year, when she got ready to put the recently shorn fiber harvest into that very same closet, Scarlett realized that tomorrow had come and gone without much thought going to her fleece. The alpacas (and Scarlett) are so adorable that this behavior was forgiven by all but the most fiber-obsessed.
No more. It’s time for Scarlett and the rest of the alpaca breeders out there to get their fiber out of the closet!
 Research on the yarn/fiber industry tells us that it is actually one of the more recession-proof industries out there. We don’t need experts to tell us that there are more people who can afford to buy a skein of yarn than there are people who can afford to buy an alpaca. So what better time to get your fiber business going than during this anemic economy? It’s time to put our money where our mouth is, and show people that alpaca fiber is a renewable resource, and that raising alpacas is the most fabulous example of sustainable agriculture around. Let’s face it - when the fiber is in the closet - it is doing nothing to help grow the alpaca industry.
Where to Begin?
 There is no one-size-fits-all business model for an alpaca fiber business. Think of all the many ways there are to run an alpaca farm. There are even more ways to make money with alpaca fiber. This can actually be discouraging for people. Too many possibilities can be confusing.
The first step is to discover your inner fiber artist, or at least your inner "appreciator" of fiber arts. Look around at different products made with alpaca fiber. This can mean clothing, rugs, textiles, yarn, raw fiber, wall hangings, and more. What do you like? What speaks to you? What do you feel passionate about? Do you like bright over-dyed colors or natural alpaca colors? Do you like raw fiber, rovings, and batts or are you more drawn to high-fashion items?
How involved would you like to be in creating your product? Can you see yourself processing your own fiber and maybe even the fiber of others? Or would you rather order items from a catalog and re-sell them? Find answers to these questions and more.
Make a list of all the things you could possibly see yourself (or your family/business partners/employees) doing with alpaca fiber. You will have to do some research to make this list. Determine how you could make money with the things on your list.
 Remember when you were new to the alpaca business, and you visited different farms to see how they did things? Do this again, but this time with fiber in mind. I recently heard about an alpaca breeder who makes hundreds of thousands of dollars selling her alpaca products. (Let’s visit her.) Talk to other alpaca breeders. Ask them what they are doing with their fleeces.
You can visit alpaca breeders’ websites and get a feel for what they are doing with their fiber. People who work with fiber love it, and they are usually very open to talking about it with you. Fiber artists with sheep and goats are also happy to share their fiber experience with you. Attend fiber fairs and see if there is a local fiber guild you can join. Take a class in weaving or crocheting or something that you’ve never done before but that looks fun. Try several things and see what makes your heart skip a beat. When you find something you’re not crazy about - just cross it off your list.
Even if you do not wind up making the product yourself, you will need to know how it is made. For example, you may have some fabric made from your alpaca fiber by a textile company. Knowing the properties of alpaca, how it mixes (or not) with other fibers, and how it will be processed will aid you in creating the product that you want from your fiber.
 Find a mentor if you can, or perhaps choose some fiber businesses that you would like to emulate and learn from them. "Fiber people" are notoriously willing to share their knowledge with you. There seems to be an online yahoo group for everything. These are usually a good resource. Subscribe to some magazines and visit blogs that relate to your favorite fiber area.
When you begin building your fiber business, you will be getting in touch with your creative side. Try several different fiber arts. Consider knitting, needle felting, wet felting, spinning, dyeing, etc. Continue to try to pick up fiber related information and skills.
You will find that your path into the fiber world will be unique. Learning new things related to fiber will open up a whole new world for you. You will appreciate your alpacas even more, and they will finally help pay their feed bill with their fiber.
Get a clear vision of how you see your fiber business, and in the next issue of Alpacas Afield we will work on making that vision a reality in It’s Time To Build That Fiber Business, Part II: Execute the Plan.
Katy Spears of Fairhope Alpacas has been breeding alpacas full-time for the past ten years. Each Friday she hosts a Fiber Arts Friday Blog Carnival on her Alpaca Farmgirl blog www.alpacafarmgirl.com to showcase the various fiber arts. She can be contacted at
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