Llama Fiber Cooperative of North America
Have llamas? What to do with all that fiber? Consider joining the Co-op.
We currently have 135 members from Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Florida, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, New York, Nebraska, Georgia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont and even Rhode Island!
Plus we have Canadian members in Alberta and BC!
ABOUT
US
The Llama Fiber Cooperative of North America is a member-owned agricultural cooperative whose specialty is the fabrication and marketing of high-quality llama fiber products.
Our goal is to create an outlet for llama owners' llama fiber. The member farms are from around the United States and Canada.
The fiber from our products comes exclusively from our members' farms. By purchasing directly from the producer, you are assured of the highest quality products available.
Our charter is to collect and sort the fiber, then send it on to various mills for processing blankets, rugs, and socks to name a few. The high-quality finished product will then be marketed not only off this website but sold in specialty shops that cater to high-end fiber products, as well as numerous fiber events throughout the year.
The one-time membership fee helps offset costs associated with the initial processing. The proceeds from the sale of these products then roll forward toward the following year's fiber processing cost. Profits are then be paid back to the co-op members based on their fiber and labor contribution.
ABOUT LLAMA
FIBER
Llama fiber is a hollow mono-filament structure without the scales or plates of sheep wool or human hair and the lightweight insulating properties of angora rabbit or polar bear fiber.
Llamas have no lanolin in their coats and minimal dander and odor when healthy.
Our fiber is gently processed to retain the natural feel and not become "prickly" like some wools.
For the scientifically inclined, llama fiber usually ranges between 20 and 40 microns in thickness.
Human hair is in the 50 micron range.
The llama fleece can be single coat or double-coat.
The double coat having both a downy undercoat of very fine filaments and a protective layer of heavier "guard hair."
Llamas are usually shorn once a year, in the springtime, which allows for plenty of regrowth before the next winter weather.
The llamas whose fiber is used by the co-op generally grow 3 or more inches of fiber in twelve months.
ABOUT
LLAMAS
Llamas are members of the Camelidae Family with one branch being the Camels themselves and the other branch including llamas and their cousins the guanacos and second cousins -- alpacas and vicunas.
Native to the South American Andes of Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile, llamas are one of the oldest domesticated animals.
The "modern" llama was introduced into North America in the late 1800s.
See the family resemblance in the photos, hover over the image to identify the family.