Meet the Lewis family

Roxanne, John and Matthew all work on the farm. Roxanne deals with the medical and marketing, John builds stuff and is THE shearer, Matthew manages the day to day work.

How long have you been in the alpaca business?

We bought our first alpaca in June of 2000.

How did you become interested in alpacas?

Roxanne saw a show about alpacas in the 80s. It showed them in South America and she could not forget them. We had always lived in town, so we did not contemplate owning them. However, we moved to Washington and bought a house with some land. We then attended a small farm expo in Spokane and saw some adorable alpacas there. We then proceeded to figure out how we could own some of these animals... We researched and worked on an alpaca farm, then bought a pregnant female.

How did you decide on your farm name?

Roxanne spins and we wanted something that sounded homey, not high tech or big business. Homespun is a utilitarian kind of spinning. Those things knit with homespun lasted. We may not be spit and polish, but we intend to last. So we thought that with the spinning connection and the homey feel of HomeSpun Alpacas, our name was born.

What challenges do you face as a small breeder?

Marketing is our biggest challenge as a small breeder. With out the big money to spend on marketing it is difficult to get name recognition. However, we have been doing quite well with AlpacaNation and our local marketing efforts.

Do you have a favorite Alpaca?

Millie is my favorite because she was my first cria. I worked with her quite a bit. She is well trained and friendly. She won a blue ribbon at Alpacafest in Spokane in 2001. We were very proud.

What is your greatest achievement or favorite memory since you started raising alpacas?

My favorite memory was at an alpaca show. I had entered my first cria, a brown female, in a composite show. I was floored when I placed second in conformation and even more amazed and thrilled when I received first overall when the fleece was added in. You couldn't get the smile off my face for days!