After many years of planning and wiating, we finally have made the move to our ranch in Nicasio, CA--on the main road to Point Reyes Station from HWY 101. West Marin county is a gorgeous vacation and "day trip" haven, but it is also an area with a strong agricultural history, and a rich tradition of fiber artistry.
Because we have taken a different approach towards alpaca ranching, we can offer a unique perspective on the alpaca business. We continued to work full-time in our professions in Southern California, dreaming of the day that we will bring our alpacas to our ranch property in Marin County, north of San Francisco (you know...hot tubs, Jerry Garcia, "flower power"...Well, things HAVE changed since the 1960's!!) Since 2006, we agisted (boarded) our alpacas at five different ranches on the West coast, from Northwestern Oregon to Southern California. This was a real advantage--we learned different approaches to alpaca husbandry and sales from a spectrum of successful alpaca ranchers. We also expanded our contacts to the Midwest and the East Coast, as we purchased high quality animals from coast to coast. When you develop relationships with ranchers across the country, you have mentors all over the United States!
We were still involved in full time private practices, so we enjoyed the full benefit of the small business tax deductions of our burgeoning alpaca business. What better opportunity could there be to apply the deductions from developing your alpaca business, than when you are earning near your peak income in your primary business? This could only be possible for us because we boarded our animals with seasoned ranchers with a wealth of experience. We are not tax professionals, and we are rather conservative in applying tax planning strategies, but we have found that even in a "down" market, the alpaca industry was beneficial for our "bottom line"!
We are fortunate to have boarded our herd with Jan and Dale Davis at Derwydd Alpacas; icons in the alpaca industry who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience and limitless enthusiasm to the business. We also boarded with Sonia Marygold, of Tanglewood Suri Alpacas--she has been a wise, gentle, and enthusiastic mentor to us. It is surprising how much support there is for new breeders in the alpaca industry. This was one of the things that drew us towards alpaca ownership.
We hope to help build an alpaca breeding and fiber industry in the North San Francisco Bay area. We are involved with our local 4H group.
We firmly believe that to purchase an alpaca from a breeder is to establish a lasting relationship with that breeder as a mentor, a friend, and a colleague.
We welcome a visit from anyone seriously considering alpaca ownership or purchasing raw alpaca fiber. We welcome casual visitors as well, but we do charge a fee for our time (and that of the alpacas!). Please do call or email in advance, or you may catch us out with the gate locked!
Please see our fun products for sale at our Zazzle online store at www.zazzle.com/alpacasofmarin
