Somerset Township farmers find niche in clothing industry with fleece
Bill O'Donnell, left, and Craig Eslep, owners of 84 Alpacas in North Strabane Township, compare bins of alpaca fibers in the fiber mill on the farm.
Alpaca fibers turned into yarns in different colors are shown as they progress through the fiber mill.
Alpacas relax in the field just yards from the alpaca fiber mill run by Craig Eslep and Bill O’Donnell, the owners of 84 Alpacas in North Strabane Township.
Craig Eslep was a health care professional, Bill O’Donnell a college professor, and neither had farming experience when they purchased a 17-acre tract eight years ago.
“None whatsoever,” Eslep said, chuckling.
They didn’t know much about South American fauna, either, but over time they developed a business, 84 Alpacas, that has become part of the fabric of Somerset Township.
Their business, formally known as 84 Alpacas on Linwood Farm, deals in alpaca fiber – also known as fleece. It is similar to wool, but better in many ways.
“It’s softer and warmer than sheep’s wool,” Eslep said, not mentioning that alpaca fleece also is silky and hypoallergenic.
Generally, clients nationwide ship fiber they shear off the animals to 84 Alpacas, which processes the material in its mill, operated by Eslep. The fleece is converted into large, single strands and sent back to the clients, who pay for tumbling, washing, picking and carding, among other things, based on the finished weight.
This fiber is ideal for knitting and is used for a number of items including sweaters, suits, socks and rugs. Alpaca fleece also can be mixed with other fabric types.
“People are asking for certain things to be blended,” said O’Donnell, who is primarily responsible for the farm and animals. “Nicer wools are a good thing to add. You can add anything from polyester to hemp.”
He and O’Donnell have been in business since August 2011, less than half the time they’ve owned the farm, which sits along Route 136 in the township between Route 519 and 84 Packing Co.
The mill is the money maker there, but the property also features a carriage house that is home to the company office and a shop with items for sale. Eslep and O’Donnell, who have four full-time employees and one working part time, also live on the plot.
And there are the alpacas, about 40 of them, raised there for their fleece. They are friendly looking creatures resembling small llamas, which originated in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Chile and Bolivia.
Locally, their sheer – and shear – existence is visible to passing motorists.
For the owners, becoming acclimated to what they wanted to do was paramount before launching. Farm living had not been the life for them.
Pre-purchase, Eslep had been a respiratory therapist for 18 years, O’Donnell a theater and dance professor at California University of Pennsylvania for 20 years, specializing in scenery and lighting design.
“We were thinking about what activities we could do to stay off the couch,” said O’Donnell, who retired from Cal U. in December 2012. “We thought this would be a good way to keep us occupied and in some money. It was kind of a long-range plan.
“But once we started farming, we found out we didn’t know what the heck we were doing. We’re doing OK now.”
OK may be understating it. Eslep said his company had about 30 clients during its first full year of operation, about 130 in the second, and now more than 300.
While weaving their way upward, the owners got a boost from Washington County Council on Economic Development. WCCED originates Small Business Administration loans in this region, and underwrote one for $100,000 for 84 Alpacas.
“This would not be happening without them,” said an appreciative Eslep. “We went to a couple of large banks who could not envision the alpaca fiber industry the way we could.
“WCCED was wonderful listening to us. To have their backing was invaluable.”
Dan Reitz, WCCED’s executive director, was certainly intrgued by this business. “It’s a very interesting cottage industry that no one probably ever thought about,” he said in an email.
An increasing population is requesting it, though.
“There is a very high demand for alpaca fleece,” O’Donnell said. “And I think the demand will be there for a long time. It’s a matter of how well the U.S. can manage this for fiber production. It’s different than raising (alpacas) for show.
This may very well be ahead. Eslep said he attended a conference in Ohio this fall, sponsored by the Alpaca Breeders Association of America. He said a representative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was there, and that members of the breeders group spoke with the USDA about having alpaca fiber listed as a commodity.
“This may very well codify alpaca fiber as an industry in the U.S.,” Eslep said. “They can take reports and chart price per pound people are selling for and people are buying for and look at trending.”
The trend, at the moment, is decidedly upward.
For more information, visit 84alpacas.com.