Meat and Hides

In their native Peru, alpacas are culled and used for their meat and pelt in addition to their fiber. “That’s why the alpacas from Peru are so incredible; they’ve been culling their herds from the beginning,” said Marc Worrell with Eastcoast Alpacas in Biddeford, Maine. “Even though I love my animals, I know that if I want to keep improving my genetics, I need to cull my herd.” more »

I’ve gotten my share of scrunched and turned up noses. I have chuckled at the handful of highly dramatic and/or ignorant comments on my Facebook page (my favorite: “I would rather eat my children!” Yup. No joke. She must have real jackass kids…) But thankfully most folks have been simply surprised, saying “I didn’t know you could eat alpacas.” more »

There are many health benefits of alpaca meat in comparison to the traditional livestock meats. It is the meat of the Andes and one of the healthiest and oldest food sources of the Incan's and pre-Incas, and remains a South American delicacy as well as important daily food source. Alpaca meat is not only rich in proteins, but also low in fat. It has the lowest level of cholesterol of any meat. It is a mild red meat which is tender, extremely lean and described by some as almost sweet. We find its flavor closest to beef without the fatty aftertaste. Alpaca takes on the flavor of what it's mixed with making it a chef's favorite! more »

“Alpacas will always be a fiber-first industry. Nobody can raise alpacas just for meat. Cost wise, you just can’t grow them out to a full-size animal only for meat and harvest them like that,” says Roger Welck, owner and farmer of Twisted Suri Alpaca Ranch in Princeton, Minnesota. Twisted Suri Alpaca Ranch is one of the first operations to create a true livestock model by utilizing all aspects of the alpaca – from fiber to meat to leather to compost. “I believe that it’s not right to put an animal down for just one product. It’s disrespectful to throw waste away,” says Welck. “The hides are turned into leather, the organs are freeze-dried for pet treats and I mix the alpaca manure with coffee grounds and make my own vermicompost. I really use everything, from one end of this animal to the other.” more »

The sustainable expansion of the Australian alpaca industry, predominantly a pasture based system, requires the development of a market for meat in addition to traditional fibre to improve commercial returns. Establishment of an alpaca meat industry will likely increase the demand for otherwise unprofitable animals and lead to genetic gains across the industry. For successful entrance into the competitive red meat market, it is important that key production traits common to red meat industries, such as beef and lamb, are taken into consideration to ensure the supply of a consistent quality product. However, there is a paucity of information on alpaca meat, especially in terms of carcass composition and yield, and the impact of gender and age on these traits. Producers and processors now have information which will assist in predicting the carcass yield and meat quality traits of alpacas of differing sex (female and castrated male) at three age periods (18, 24 and 36 months). This information will be beneficial to the on-farm and processing aspects of the alpaca meat supply chain. more »