What sells in a UK alpaca farm shop: alpaca soft toys in real fur

Across the UK, alpaca walks are booked as a day out, for a birthday or as a present. Many farms add a café and a shop by the car park, which every visitor passes on the way in and on the way out.

Most soft toys on a gift shop shelf are polyester. These are real alpaca fur, made by hand in our workshop in Lima, in natural colours from Ivory White through to Cacao, and a visitor knows the difference the moment they pick one up.

The Mini, 15 cm: for the children who walked

$10.90 at the entry tier. Small enough for a coat pocket. The Mini alpaca.

The Small, 23 cm: for the one who gave the walk

$15.90 at the entry tier. Often bought as a present for the person who booked the walk.

Monsterfluff: the coat before shearing

The coat left exactly as it grew, long and soft. In late spring, before your herd is shorn, it is the alpaca that looks most like the ones in the field. From $10.40 at the entry tier. Monsterfluff.

The Large, 48 cm: by the café counter

$37.90 at the entry tier. By the café counter, every visitor sees it. The large alpaca.

At the till

Keychains in real alpaca fur, a mini alpaca or a pom pom on a ring. For farms with a home section, alpaca fur rugs of 100 by 65 cm and teddy bears in real alpaca fur. All of it counts toward the same $500. Alpaca fur keychains.

An example of how the shop of an average UK alpaca farm thinks it through. Take Bramblecombe Alpacas in Devon: twenty alpacas, walks booked most days from Easter to October, a café in the old barn and a shop by the car park. Emma, who runs it, has a list before she orders anything. This is her list, and what we answer.

“Something to remember the walk by.”

Minis and Smalls in the shades of her own herd, so the soft toy looks like the alpaca that was on the end of the lead.

“Something that isn't the same as every gift shop.”

Real alpaca fur, made by hand in Lima. Her visitors feel the difference when they pick one up.

“Something for spring.”

Ten Monsterfluff Minis with the long coat left on, for the weeks before shearing when the herd looks the same.

“Our name on it.”

From 500 alpacas in one order the hangtag says Bramblecombe instead of our name. Her first order is smaller, so it carries our Munay hangtag for now.

“Parents will ask if it is safe.”

All our alpacas are compliant and safe, tested at an independent laboratory against EN 71. The test report comes with the quotation.

“Stocked before Easter and the half-term weeks.”

Making takes 4 to 6 weeks at the entry tier, so she orders in January for Easter. And sometimes part of her list is already waiting: small numbers of some colours and sizes are already made and ready in Lima, and then a small order can ship almost straight away. The quotation tells her which.

Her first order: 15 Minis in three shades, ten Monsterfluff Minis in two, ten Smalls in two shades and five Larges for the café. $616.00, mixed in one order.

The minimum is $500 an order, mixed freely across every size, shade and collection, with at least five of each colour. The price per alpaca drops at 100 alpacas and again at 500. Build your mix in the order form and the quotation comes back within 24 hours, with the ready date. Ordering and terms.

From 500 alpacas in one order, the hangtag carries your farm's name instead of ours, for $0.20 an alpaca on top, plus the cost of printwork. Private label.

Anything your shop needs on top of that, we arrange together during your order.