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It's seven-times warmer than wool, hypoallergenic and has been said to have the comfort of cashmere.
It's alpaca fleece, and some of it is grown right here in Kent. Mak-Ky Corral, located at 15717 S.E. 240th St., is a fully functioning alpaca farm, complete with a 54 of the otherworldly animals.
Originally from the high plains of the Andes Mountains in South America, alpacas are the smaller, softer and more docile cousin of the llama. They were imported to the U.S. over 20 years ago, and now their numbers have grown, their soft, dense fleece becoming more and more prevalent on the national market.
There are probably about 85,000 alpacas in the country right now, but we want to continue to increase that number, said Gina Martin, who owns the May-Ky Corral alpaca farm with her husband, Brad.
She explained that an alpaca sweater would cost about $400 in the retail market right now, because of the increasingly high demand and limited supply. She would like to get more people interested in owning alpacas and starting their own farms, just like she did about 13 years ago.
I had been a flight attendant, but I wanted my kids to be able to be around some animals growing up to teach them the responsibility of having chores, Martin said. I heard about alpacas, so we started out with two, and now we have 54.
Martin and her husband developed the name of the eight and a half-acre farm from a hybrid of their two children's names, Makenna and Kyler. I love it, Makenna, 16, said of growing up with alpacas. It's so much fun, and it's always something different.
Martin recently retired from her job as a flight attendant to run the farm full-time, and her husband and children help out with the busy task. Managing the largest and most highly-decorated alpaca farm in the area keeps the family busy.
Alpacas are low-maintnance animals, Martin said, explaining that the food you would feed a horse for a month would feed 15 alpacas for the same amount of time. They're also sheered only once a year, producing about 8-12 pounds of fiber per animal.
However, business at the farm comes not only from selling fleece to mills and U.S. co-ops, but also from selling animals and providing breeding services to other alpaca farms across the country. Martin said she is always birthing crias baby alpacas of her own or of alpacas sent to be bred with her award-winning animals.
It's a little busy around here, she said. When we say it's a zoo, we're not kidding.
The farm also boards alpacas for people who don't have room for their animals, operates an on-site wholesale store filled with alpaca clothing and hosts visitor to the farm on a regular basis.
Martin said she loves to have people visit and learn more about alpacas. It's totally free to come visit, she said, adding that the farm receives multiple visitors every week. We've been so blessed, it's our way to give back to the community.
Martin has a passion for alpacas, and she said she couldn't be happier now that she works with peaceful animals full time.
Each one has a different personality, Martin said. It's kind of like being back in high school. Some are really shy, some think they're all that. They're really interesting animals.
The farm will celebrate National Alpaca Farm Day Sept. 29-30, opening their gates to the public from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days. Food, drinks, a drawing for an alpaca scarf and informational sessions about the benefits of owning alpacas will be included in the festivities.
Homeless to benefit from business venture
By MICHELLE GISI - Kent Reporter Editor
(This story ran in the Kent Reporter Nov. 6, 2002. It was re-published with permission from the paper.)
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As Nique bats her Bambi-like eyes and sniffs the air with her velvet nose, she has no idea that she's helping the homeless. Nique (pronounced Nee-kee) is an 8-month-old, fluffy gold-and-rust-colored alpaca whose fleece has gone into making gloves and socks that will be given to Kent's homeless. It makes Nique's owners proud to know that people less fortunate than they are will wear the garments made of a material once reserved for South American royalty thousands of years ago. Brad and Gina Martin and their children, Makenna, 12 and Kyler, 9, have raised alpacas on their small East Hill farm, Mak-Ky Corral, for five years. The business of breeding the animals and selling clothes made from their fleece is slowly growing in popularity in the United States, especially in Washington. The fleece is made into yarn that's softer and warmer than wool, hypo-allergenic and washable, unlike wool. For those unfamiliar with them, alpacas are similar to llamas but smaller, fluffy as a teddy bear with large doe eyes. They are gentle and inquisitive, can be any one of or a combination of 22 colors and communicate by humming. The Martins have embraced this semi-rural lifestyle and home-based business, which allows them more time to spend with their children. The family is so pleased with the business that they decided to help others this fall. "Giving is better than always getting," Gina said, adding that the act of giving out the garments is the children's Christmas present to her. "We've been so blessed, and it's time to give back." Makenna and Kyler will sometime this month don Santa hats and give out several dozen gloves, socks and scarves made from this year's fleece crop. The recipients will be the Kent homeless. "It makes you happy to know you are helping people that are not as fortunate as us," Kyler said. "It makes us feel warm inside." Alpaca gloves can run $17 to $40, scarves up to $70, and socks around $12. The fleece from one alpaca can make more than a dozen pairs of socks or gloves. Alpacas are relatively new on the United States livestock scene, though the animals were domesticated about 5,000 years ago in South America. They are considered exotic animals, and about 35,000 of them exist in the United States. Of that number, 5,270 live in Washington. The Martins didn't begin with a master business plan, instead starting the venture by a gut feeling and the purchase of a two alpacas. "I wanted my kids to be able to have the experience that I did growing up," said Brad, who was raised in Eastern Washington among animals, including horses. Brad described his wife as "a city girl from the Scenic Hill area who now scoops poop," gives shots and supervises alpaca breeding. The entire experience is rewarding for the Martin children, Brad said, because it teaches responsibility, commitment and compassion. They spend time caring for, feeding, training and showing the alpacas. Daughter Makenna is herd manager. She pays attention to the alpacas' health and feedings, and trains the animals. "They're really peaceful and relaxing," she said, adding that she likes to visit with the animals as a homework break. Son Kyler is the farm's herdsman, responsible for keeping the veterinarian kit clean and stocked. Now the Martins' alpaca count is up to 12. They board more alpacas on their 2 acres, plus 4 acres of leased, adjacent land. "They have very different personalities," Gina said of the animals. Some are shy, some inquisitive, and one or two are bossy. The females get a tad cranky while pregnant, and the main male, Michaelangelo, watches over them like a hawk. Many of the animals have been trained to give kisses, remove baseball hats and "dance." But more than the income generated from the alpaca business, the Martins love these animals for intangible qualities. "Our main love is the animals and how they respond to the kids and us," Gina said. "You can have a cruddy day and come out here with the alpacas and within just a few minutes, life's good again." The lifestyle is a wonderful break from Gina's now part-time flight-attendant career with Alaska Airlines. Brad gets to enjoy time with the kids, too, with his home business of selling grandstands and bleachers, M.V.P. Inc. The alpacas give Brad a quality of life he cherishes. "When they look at you with those Bambi deer eyes, they find a way to get into your heart and your soul," he said.
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