ABOUT ANNADELE & ALPACAS
ANNADELE ALPACAS was founded by Deb King and Sharon Heiser in the late 1990’s. They learned how to breed, birth and improve genetics for better fiber, and competed in livestock competitions winning numerous awards. As their herd grew, Deb and Sharon's respect for the curiosity and intelligence of Alpacas turned into a deep love of the luxurious fiber they produce. They took up the heritage craft of spinning, and started producing gorgeous natural colored and dyed yarns. That led to weaving, knitting and felting... and before long a full fledged traditional crafts business was born!
In the summer of 2021, Deb and Sharon started the process of passing the business along to Alpaca farmers Rich and Tina Hays. We, Rich and Tina, were operating a regenerative cattle ranch and easily transitioned into adding the alpaca herd from Deb and Sharon. We practice farming techniques that focus on building soil, increasing biodiversity and improving water cycles all for the benefit of our animals and the land.
Fiber of The Gods
The legends say that the Gods were so pleased with the ancient people and how they lived that they gave them alpacas as a reward. The animals have been bred for the fleece for millennia. Fiber from alpacas comes from either a Huacaya or a Suri alpaca. They naturally produce 16 official colors with many other subtle shades and hues. The yarn resists soiling, staining and piling. The fiber has unique thermal properties making it 5x warmer than wool due to its semi-hollow core. The finest alpaca fiber is as soft as cashmere measuring at <18 microns compared to cashmere at <19 microns. Baby alpaca (not shorn from baby alpacas) is measured at <23 microns. There are 6 categories of varying degrees of fineness of alpaca fleece.
As a result of the lack of lanolin in alpaca fiber, it does not need to undergo chemical treatments to remove dirt and grease from the fiber all of these said to make it hypoallergenic. Properties of the fiber also make it flame resistant. It has a lower heat release rate once it does catch fire and its natural sulfur content make it char preventing further spread. Alpaca wool is not waterproof but is water-repellent. It has great wicking capabilities because of the hollow fiber that traps heat and pushes moisture away.
There are no alpacas left in the wild, they were domesticated thousands of years ago. Alpacas originate from the tropical dry desert areas of the Peruvian Andes, northern Bolivia and northern Chile. Their lifespan is 15-20 years with the oldest on record of 27. Their diet consists of hay and grass and they weigh between 150-200 lbs. They can spit up to 10 feet and do not have top teeth giving them the appearance of an underbite. Alpacas are strong herd animals therefore must be kept in a group of 2-3, keeping only one can cause the animal to die of loneliness.
About Annadele Alpacas Products
Here at Annadele we use all the fiber our animals provide for us in our craft. The safety and well being of our animals is our top priority. Sheering is done for the benefit of the animal as they are not equipped for the heat and humidity that comes with Pennsylvanian summers.
We have a generous herd of Alpacas and we love each and every one of them however they do not fully support all the products we make or carry. Some of our products are handmade, some are bought in support of fellow Pennsylvanian Alpaca farmers, purchased from a co-op supporting US Made products and/or supporting Peruvian farm cultures through fair trade. We take pride in ethical farm practices and support other farmers with similar values.
Should you ever be unhappy with a product purchased from Annadele, please call us to give us the chance to make it right. We would never want you to have a product you don’t love as much as we do! Thank you for supporting our small farm dreams! See more about our return/exchange policy on the contact us page.