The Story of Accoyo
By: Jack Donaldson, one of our partners in Accoyo Partners, Ltd. - the largest full Accoyo Suri herd in North America
Don Julio Barreda, often considered the founding father of the modern Alpaca world, dedicated his life’s work to restoring the glory of the Alpaca. His persistence and unwavering vision led him to painstakingly develop pure bloodlines of superior Suri Alpacas at his Accoyo Estancia, from which the ensuing fine animals took their name.
He perfected conformation of his animals. Then, at a time when other Peruvian Alpaca breeders pursued fleece volume only, the Accoyo herd was bred to produce a finer fiber – and next a greater volume of that fineness. Fiber processors began to pay premiums for fiber from Accoyo Alpacas, as it produced a higher percentage sorting into the fine baby Alpaca grade.
Enduring through formidable climatic conditions and political upheavals, Estancia Accoyo’s Suri Alpacas gained their due recognition around the world when the Peruvian government opened its borders to Alpaca trade. Never before had the world seen Alpacas like the Accoyo Suris, with their beautiful conformation and fine, voluminous fleece.
The Macusani region, where the American Accoyo Suri herd originated, is known for producing a very fine clip. Consistently producing high volumes of this fine-textured fleece most prized in the marketplace, Accoyo Suris historically yielded averages of 5 – 7 pounds at 19 – 21 microns as baby grade and over 5 pounds at 22 – 25 microns as adults. Some Accoyo Suris have been known to produce fleece as fine as 16 microns.
Today, the pure Accoyo Suri Alpaca remains a rare treasure. A select portion of the Accoyo Suri Alpaca bloodstock was introduced to North America, where its genetic purity has been preserved, culminating in the American Accoyo Suri Collection. Accoyo Partners strive to maintain these exquisite bloodlines.
North American breeders who seek to combine fineness and density will now be better able to meet the market demands and enjoy greater revenue from fiber and Alpaca sales.
