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Since the domestication of alpacas thousands of years ago, alpaca fiber has been a prized commodity. Alpaca fiber is comparable to merino, cashmere in its fineness and luxurious feel. However, quite different in it's processing qualities in that alpaca fleece contains no lanolin, thus is a drier and cleaner fiber resulting in considerably less loss in scouring and preparation.
Alpacas are shorn once each year, yielding 3-14# of fiber, in a range of beautiful, vibrant colors. In finished goods, this fiber has more insulative properties and is therefore warmer than other wools. Alpaca fiber is strong and dyes easily and depending on the quality, can be made into fine textiles, luxurious knits, as well as rugs, outerwear, upholstery fabric and much more. It is a most versatile, durable and beautiful fiber providing the producer many value added, end product options.
The value of an alpaca is in the quality of its fiber. The alpacas that sell for the premium prices are those that have proven their value in passing on desirable traits, i.e. marketable fiber qualities. There are bloodlines known for this ability in the
U.S. marketplace and they are in high demand.
As the alpaca livestock industry has developed, alpacas possessing the commercially desirable fleece qualities – density, uniformity, fineness – are the most sought after by the prudent buyer. While you may often hear, that this is a “breeder’s market, “ the fact is that the fiber market is also developing and moving toward the eventual, larger textile and manufacturing base than the small mills and cottage industries of today.
So again, remember the alpaca is the product of your business in today’s market. To be competitive, your product line must produce marketable fiber. Read on to learn more about assessing fiber, value added production in North America, markets elsewhere, data collection and interpretation, courses about fiber and more.
Go to "Fiber Production" for more on this topic.
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