About Us

The Story

The Toft Alpaca on-farm shop officially opened in September 2006 and is managed by Kerry Bettinson:

"Two years ago, sitting in a James Joyce seminar in the last term of my degree, I desperately clung onto a scrap of a sentence I had at least some chance of selling my intellect on: Councillor Nannetti's alpaca jacket.

On completion of my finals I made a somewhat sheepish return back to Toft (colander and pot plant in hand) to be thrown back into the midst of shearing week and my enforced enlistment as 'broom girl'. One hundred and fifty fleeces later and the barn, garage, and what was formerly my bedroom were bursting with twenty-two colours of crimpy softness. Sleepy eyed and unthinkingly inquisitive I boldly asked; 'so what exactly are we doing with all this fibre?'

Amidst the dust and spit and toenail clippings, I now take great joy in seeing the fleeces roll off the backs of the animals. This year I shall label them 'Babywear', 'Shawls', 'Handbags', grading fineness and colour directly in terms of product, even before the alpaca's had time to feel the sun warming their freshly exposed unmentionables. Every piece of fibre from the Toft herd is now processed and sold within the UK: knitting yarns, knitwear, woven accessories and felted pieces. I made the decision to take advantage of the natural colour spectrum and in doing so have earned status as a green producer as my products are 100% natural and British, the majority carrying a total carbon mileage under fifty. The biggest challenge for me was finding a niche for the coarser leg fibre. Awareness about the beauty of baby alpaca is rapidly growing, but I suspect many breeders are still left pondering over a mounds of what can only be described as �5ths' (older animals).

The Toft Alpaca Shop, best described as a 'farm boutique' attracts a diverse stream of shoppers, both craftspeople and fashionistas alike. ToftAlpacaShop.co.uk is building a faithful knitting and eco blogger following and frequently returning custom. I never thought that I would be deferring dreams of Dublin libraries, in exchange for scraps, samples and sewing; trying to make (and most importantly sell) that perfect alpaca jacket."

In order to sustain the product range and level of business that The Toft Alpaca Shop now attracts we are pleased to start buying in fleeces from other alpaca owners. In 2009 Toft purhcased fleeces from over thirty alpaca owners across the UK. In 2010 Toft will need to process a massive quanitity of British alpaca fleece to maintain the current collection of knitting yarns, kits and accessories. To enquire about selling us your fleeces (whether you have two animals or two hundred animals!) please contact us for the fleece purchase agreement and prices.

The Ethics

From the offset The Toft Alpaca Shop has been dedicated to natural UK processing and Fair Trade Peruvian importation.

All of our UK products (all yarns, hats and handbags) are made in 100% natural British alpaca, undergoing minimum contact with chemical processing. All of our handknit yarns for retail are spun in the UK. Eco-yarns and eco-knitting are proving extremely popular, with large brands now releasing their own 'green knitting' collections. At The Toft Alpaca Shop we do not carry one environmentally conscious yarn line, rather ALL of our yarn and products are ecologically and ethically sound

Our hand knitting collection is powered by our team of wonderful knitters, working from home across Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. These ladies are so dedicated to Toft they have been known to work through the night to ensure an order is out for a special Birthday or Christmas gift! At Toft we have always adopted a policy of not putting pressure on any of our craftspeople in order to ensure the highest standard of work- some ladies knit dozens of handbags a week and others a few hats every month.

The spinning of our machine knitted welly and walking socks is sustainably powered by water at Coldharbour Watermill, Devon, a mill dedicated to environmentally-friendly textile production. They are then created at a local family run business in Leicestershire.

Alongside our British Alpaca range we also stock a British designed selection of Peruvian fine knitwear. Peruvian knitters have been working in alpaca for centuries, and their expertise in the production of luxury alpaca garments is historical . When working with Peru we have been careful to ensure that we are working with verified fair trade importers. Concepts of Peru , supplier of our classic socks, have been working with Peru since 1994 and Concepts of Peru was created in 2002. They employ a team of in-house knitters and also work with independent often family businesses or small co-operatives, carefully managing to ensure fair rates of pay and suitable working conditions. Our collection is crated by collabortaion projects between us and small knitting groups in South America. Working conditions, wages and workload expectations are continually monitored with all of our knitters to ensure we are fairly trading with Peru, and this manitans our high quality production. Most of our cardigan designs are now knitted in Siquani, about two hours from Cusco from alpaca fibre from the highest mountain points in Arequipa, and are managed via a family based link between us and them.

Toft also stocks a range of alpaca fur products which are sourced and made in South America. We are determined not to support alpacas being killed for their skins, and thus all of teddy bears, slippers and muffs are from the pelts of animals which have died from natural causes. As a consequence the availability and variability in the stock across our range can be very different subject to availability.

The Charity

The Toft Alpaca Shop is pleased to be working in association with Practical Action, a Rugby based charity working internationally to demonstrate and advocate the sustainable use of technology to reduce poverty in developing countries. Along with projects in East Africa, Southern Africa and South Asia, Practical Action works in Latin America, more specifically Peru . The Peruvian projects coordinate from the central office in Lima working on three main technology programmes: Productions systems, energy, and disaster prevention.

Practical Action have launched a 'Practical Present' catalogue, encouraging people to give a life-changing gift. Amongst other animals, people can purchase an alpaca, alpaca veterinary kit, alpaca food and alpaca shelters.

The Toft Alpaca Shop was very keen to work with a charity, and none better than one giving back to the communities that our alpacas originate from. Along with promoting Practical Presents, we are selling greetings cards and alpaca finger puppets directly on behalf of Practical Action, and have launched the ultimate ethical Knitting Kit. The Toft Alpaca Shop will continue to work closely with Practical Action, providing fundraising events, campaign support and local awareness.

In 2009 we discovered a new small Peruvian charity- Westnell Nursery. Westnell nurseries provide pre-school education in the most underpriviledged sefction of society in Lima, Peru. All of our gift cards provided for messages in parcels are now purchased from Westnell to rasie funds for their fantastic work.

Throughout the year The Toft Alpaca Shop also supports many other charities at shopping evening fundraisers, gala days, and coffee mornings. We will maintain our dedication to Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research, Shipston Home Nursing, The National Trust, The Rare Breeds Survival Trust, The Red Cross, Myton Hospice, Rugby Air Ambulance, Dunchurch Infant School , Warwick Boys School and many other local Schools.

The Packaging

The Toft Alpaca Shop has made all efforts to make all of our packaging sustainable. Both carrier bags and postage bags are all 100% recycled and recyclable. Paperwork, knitting patterns, leaflets and business cards all goes out on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and excess printing is avoided whenever possible.

The Future

Whatever it is you are looking for, you are sure to find originality and unique ideas which make extra-special gifts for friends and family. Toft Alpaca is committed to producing eco-friendly natural British handknits both spun and knitted locally, and are determined to continue to provide personal friendly service. With ever-changing unique pieces, and bespoke services available, it's always worth coming to have a browse at the on-farm shop- where you can enjoy the alpacas and see where your socks come from!

If you are a textile artist or designer, knitter or weaver, and interested in learning some more about alpaca, then do not hesitate to get in contact with Kerry by phone or e-mail as we enthusiastically encourage new ideas and are happy to share our knowledge of this wonderful fibre.

The Herd

Toft Alpacas is the prize-winning alpaca herd and stud established in 1997 which is based in the hamlet of Toft near the village of Dunchurch, in North East Warwickshire. The Toft Alpaca herd now comprises of over two hundred alpacas, and is an active Alpaca Stud specialising in Accoyo blood lines and breeding Best Browns. Toft Alpacas has been very active in the British alpaca industry over the last ten years, importing and exporting alpacas in its commitment to breed improved quality fleeces. Although the textile brand �Toft' take sits name from the original herd, we now purchase fleeces from breeders across the UK. If anyone would like to get in touch with regards to animal purchase or training then contact Shirley Bettinson on 01788 810626.

For more information about Toft Alpacas Click Here