The wonder of alpaca fleece

Quenti Alpaca & Mill is a unique operation in that is processes the fleece produced by its own Alpaca herd in its industrial mill. Linda Nessworthy, co-owner of the operation, explains how the herd is managed, as well as the subsequent milling process.

- Janine Ryan

Quenti Alpaca & Mill, based near Cape Town in the Western Cape, is the only industrial mill in South Africa that specialises in processing locally grown alpaca fleece. The operation is particularly unique in that it also consists of an alpaca herd, and the fleece from its animals is converted to fine-worsted yarn at the Quenti mill, and then knitted or woven into finished products.

The Quenti products are sold directly from the farm, but can also be purchased online and are available to local and international customers.

Linda Nessworthy and her husband, Stephen, own and run the operation.

“Alpaca by its intrinsic nature is a superior fibre. It is warmer by weight than sheep wool and is hypoallergenic due to the absence of lanolin, as well as its smoother scale structure. It is the only fibre produced in a wide array of colours, from black and white to shades of grey, fawn and brown,” says Nessworthy.

The Nessworthys imported their first alpacas from Chile in 2009, which consisted of 12 gestating hembras (female alpacas) and one macho (male alpaca). “About 18 months later, we imported 18 pregnant females and three herd sires,” says Nessworthy.

“The females were all pregnant to different males, which gave us a wide genetic spread as the basis of our herd.”

About their decision to farm alpacas, Nessworthy says that the exclusivity of entering such a niche market was particularly attractive.

“It is difficult to create a new business that does not have a significant point of difference, whereas pursuing a niche market offers a wider range of opportunities.”

These are opportunities that the Nessworthys have grabbed with both hands. By opening the mill, they have situated themselves firmly along the value chain, focusing not only on production, but also on processing.