FOR centuries, the alpaca has featured on the menu in its Peru homeland but not in Australia where the breed is more well known for its cuddly appearance and luxurious fleece.
This may soon change however, thanks to a new joint venture between Prados Alpacas' Perry and Sarah Wheeler, Victor Harbor, and Ambersun Alpacas' Chris Williams, Mount Compass.
The alpaca aficionados have joined forces to launch Fleurieu Prime Alpaca and are keen to spruik the commercial possibilities of these South American camelids in broadacre farm diversification.
Perry is keen to develop the commercial production of alpacas for meat and wool.
"It's still an emerging industry," he said. "At the national show and sale, the top females can sell for $60,000 plus and males have sold for up to $125,000."
"We sell breeding females from $600-plus, while pet and sheep guards can sell for $400."
Perry said they would be offering up to $2.50 a kilogram liveweight at the farmgate for alpacas depending on age and size.
He said alpacas were the perfect dual-purpose animal for a large-scale enterprise.
"They are easy to care for," he said.
"They have no fly strike, an annual shearing, which can be pushed out to two years for Suris, and routine vaccinations."
Perry said a skirted alpaca fleece weighed 2 to 4kg, and could sell for $20-$60/kg, but because of volumes and colours this was not often sold in the same year.
"Alpacas are very tolerant and hardy," he said.
"They are run at stocking rates similar to sheep and can do very well on hilly, barren land."
A mature alpaca weighs in at 60kg lw, yielding a 40kg carcase.
An alpaca has a gestation period of 11.5 months, with offspring maturing at 18 months to two years.
The Wheelers and Williams' business works in conjunction with sister company Illawarra Prime Alpaca, Berry, New South Wales.
"We need people who are breeding alpacas commercially," Perry said.
"We are keen to get the message out to farmers now to ensure we have a supply of alpacas to supply a growing market.
"Producers should contact us and we can put them in contact with others with available females.
"It's going to be a challenge but we hope prices will rise. Farmers will get a return on their investment."
Perry said alpacas were first bought to Australia 150 years ago by adventurer Charles Ledger, with the idea that they would supply wool for military uniforms.
"At that stage they were primarily using alpaca wool for military uniforms, and he planned to build a second fibre industry, similar to the wool industry, but for various reasons, mainly political, it didn't work," he said.
"The idea then was that it would be an industry, it would be wool and meat, and it would be there alongside the sheep industry."
Fast forward to the late 1980s, when a group of Australian entrepreneurs went over to South America and bought alpacas back to Australia.
"The advantage is that even though quantities here are small we started with the best," Perry said.
Perry wants to see alpacas become a commercial and sustainable industry and says meat production will be an important part of that focus.
He said alpaca meat was still widely eaten in South America.
The Fleurieu Prime Alpaca brand will be launched at the end of August.
Their venture already has one restaurant, Elbow Room at McLaren Vale, keen to put alpaca on the menu, and Perry says there has been a lot of interest from other chefs.
"We already have an order from Singapore but we are concentrating on the domestic market at this stage," he said.
* Full report in Stock Journal, August 15 issue, 2013.
