Alpaca belong to the camel family which include llamas, vicunas, and guanacos. Unlike the llama which are primarily used as pack animals, alpaca are raised for their quality fleece. Alpaca fiber is considered a luxury fabric and usually rivals the popularity of such fine fibers as cashmere among top designers around the world. Its texture is much stronger than merino sheep wool and its softness and silkiness is superior to that of angora and cashmere wool's. Additional characteristics include: hypo-allergenic, water and stain resistance, and no odor retention.

Alpacas originated from South America and were domesticated by the Inca Indians over six thousand years ago. During Inca times, alpaca fiber was a status symbol and the finer grades were reserved for nobility. So revered was the fiber that is was called the 'Fiber of the Gods'. It was also the Inca that developed the alpaca into two distinct fleece types; the Huacaya (pronounced wah-KI-ya) and Suri. The huacaya looks like a fluffy teddy bear, while the suri's hair grows in long dreadlocks.

In 1983 the first herd of Alpaca were imported to America from Chile and Bolivia, then 10 years later the first Peruvian stock came through. However, in 1998 breeders closed the Alpaca Registry (ARI) to any additional imported animals thereby stopping the flow of alpacas into the United States which preserved the value of the animals. Since then, it has been a 'breeders' market in the United States due to the limited number of alpaca available. As a result, prices have remained stable and high.

Alpaca are gentle, easy to care for, and do not require large pastures. Therefore many people are choosing alpacas over traditional livestock. Because of their limited population and high demand, financial benefits are particularly attractive to people who want to supplement their income or receive tax benefits.

Alpaca can cost any where from about $100 for a non-breeding male, to over $250,000 for a top-class herdsire. Most people start their herd with good quality bred females. The slow rate of reproduction means that supply is unlikely to exceed demand in the foreseeable future.

Note: The California Alpacas web site is under going new changes, so you may want to visit one of our sponsors for more information. Thank you for your patience.