Alpaca facts
Everything you need to know about alpacas
From the Andes to Norway
Up in the endless plains of the Andes, the alpaca has to cope with going from -25C to +25C within a day. The alpaca is hardy in relation to climate, but it must have its primary needs covered to cope with extreme weather, whether it is hot or cold.
Alpaca facts
Questions and answers
Alpaca wool - Fiber
The alpaca has hair with cavities, hence the good properties. Alpaca wool is three times warmer than normal wool. (On these pages we have used the terms wool and fiber rather than hair.)
Alpaca wool is probably the best wool you can buy. Together with mohair, angora and cashmere, it accounts for only 2.6% of the wool market worldwide.
With all the good properties that alpaca wool has, the potential should be great. It is several times stronger than sheep's wool, it is warmer, it does not itch or shed. In addition, it keeps its shape and form much longer.
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Unlike sheep wool, alpaca wool does not contain lanolin. It is therefore beneficial against allergies. In addition, it does not absorb odors as easily as sheep's wool.
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Alpaca has 22 natural colors with 250 different shades.
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The different fiber qualities:
Royal Alpaca (<19 micron)
Baby Alpaca (<22 micron)
Alpaca Super Fine (<25 micron)
Thick Fiber ( <32 micron )
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Finer fibre, better quality and higher price.
Breeding alpaca in Norway
Systematic and targeted breeding is the future for alpaca farming in this country as well. In all other countries, the focus is on breeding to get fewer microns on the fiber and increase the amount of fiber per animal.
The goal of investing in systematic breeding in Norway should therefor be the same.
The population of alpaca globally is still at such a level that the production of fiber is not yet a large industry, but it will come, the demand is there.
If we want to be able to compete with imports from other countries, we must be at least as good and professional, and then there is only one road that is passable - Breeding. As this globally is at an early stage, here in Norway we have the same opportunities as elsewhere in the world, only if we invest seriously and correctly.
If you are planning to invest in alpacas, you are welcome to have a non-binding chat with us.
