The Future Is Fiber
We believe the future of the USA alpaca industry is fiber. For America to have a sustainable alpaca industry, we must get unused fiber out of barns and into American-made goods. Our farm is dedicated to making this happen and we are working to help reorientate the industry toward greater usage of our American-grown alpaca fiber.
As part of this effort, we have begun buying raw fiber and converting this into USA-made goods. Our first runs included socks and throws. We will continue to push forward, and if you'd like to participate, we'd love to welcome you.
Please keep in mind we are not a fiber co-op. We are a family run business that sees a growing problem of unused alpaca fiber and limited access to American alpaca products, so we're trying to help alleviate this problem.
Here's How You Can Participate
- Participating farms donate or sell Huacaya alpaca fiber to our farm so we can use it in future fiber runs.
- Once this fiber is received, it is professionally sorted and graded. This means your fiber blanket is graded to the lowest fiber quality present and the blanket is reduced for any contamination.
- After the fiber is sorted and graded, your usable fiber is recorded for both grade and amount. This will be used to calculate your payout.
- This raw fiber is then sent to a location for wash and scouring.
- Once washed, the fiber moves to a new location for spinning.
- Once the yarn is ready, this is sent to a new location for knitting or weaving.
- The finished product is then returned to us in Northern Michigan for labeling and sale.
- You will have the option of receiving a check or using your fiber funds to purchase the finished product at wholesale prices. Should you opt for a check, these funds will be available to you as soon as we sort and grade your fiber.
| Grade 1 (17-19 Micron) | $6/lb |
| Grade 2 (20-22 Micron) | $6/lb |
| Grade 3 (23-25 Micron) | $4/lb |
| Grade 4 (26-28 Micron) | $3/lb |
| Grade 5 (29-31 Micron) | $1/lb |
How to Maximize Your Payout
- Separate out the prime blanket and only send this fiber.
- Measure your fiber blanket to ensure it is over 3" in length.
- Skirt your blanket to remove contaminated fiber.
- Place one blanket per plastic bag.
- Label with your farm name.
Please make sure no moths, mold, mildew, or bugs are in the submitted blankets!
Questions?
If you have questions or you'd like to discuss the program, please contact Jason Gill at 231-631-2341 or [email protected].