Suris or Huacayas?

Suris or Huacayas? Which type of alpaca is right for you? That is a very personal question and an important one to decide early on in your research. When you ask breeders why they chose to raise a particular type you will hear many different answers- some based on investment strategy but most based on personal preference.

At Dos Doñas Alpaca Farm we raise both. However, we initially chose to specialize in suri alpacas with an emphasis on fiber quality, conformation and color diversity. When we first started to consider raising Alpacas we did a lot of research. In addition to reading everything we could get our hands on, we spoke with and visited as many alpaca breeders, both suri and huacaya, as we could. Our first alpaca encounter was with huacayas. I loved their softly rounded features and, because a romanticized version of farm life has always appealed to me, I decided to look further into the business possibilities of breeding these animals. My mother and soon to be partner was a bit more apprehensive, due to the fairly sizable investment which would be required. From our reading we learned that, at that time, there were about 20,000 huacayas in the United States but only about 2,500 suris.

We set out to visit several suri farms and see these elusive creatures in person. All shorn animals look a bit funny but when we saw several suris in full fleece we found them to be exquisite. Lustrous, graceful, elegant- these words aptly describe the rare suri alpaca. After several whirlwind tours, we knew that we would like to raise these creatures. However, as with any business venture, there is a certain amount of risk. We finally decided that for us to feel fully comfortable with the investment, we would go with the rare suri because we felt we could be certain they would maintain their value over a longer period of time. After all, suris only make up 2%-3% of the world alpaca population and the law of supply and demand would be on our side.

We were strictly suri for our first 5 or 6 years in business. During that time, we began working with a large Montana Farm, Star Sapphire Ranch. We showed and brokered their alpacas for them, the majority of which were huacayas. This allowed us to bring diverse genetics to the mid-west and expand our sales list. It was during this time that we decided to broaden our focus to also include huacayas. Our first huacaya was Zoey, a truly superior white Conan daughter who was born on our farm. By then, we had been profitable for several years and were confident in the alpaca industry as a whole, both suris and huacayas. Early on, it was decided that our herd would remain small but several key purchases ensured that its quality was among the top in the show ring.

When people ask us which type they should choose to populate their foundation herd, we always tell them to go with their gut. After 9 years, we are confident that the market for both suris and huacayas will remain strong and it comes down to a personal preference. I will always be partial to suris for their grace and elegance but also appreciate a truly superior huacaya. There's nothing like opening a dense huacaya fleece only to be blown away by an unexpected brightness and definition of crimp. There's also nothing like looking out in the pastures when he suris are running and watching their lustrous locks glisten as they part in the wind.

Does that make your decision any easier?

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