Contact Alpaca Acres Ranch

Alpaca Acres Ranch is owned and run by sisters Cathy White and Christi Amoroso. We began our alpaca business in February 2004. We’d like to share with you who we are, what drew us to the alpaca business and how our dream has become our reality.

Cathy got her business degree from National University in 1993. In 2003, after a 23 year career in Human Resources Management in San Diego, she decided to leave her job and move to the bay area to start Alpaca Acres Ranch with her sister. Christi moved from San Diego to the bay area for business reasons in 1991 with her 11 year old son, Brandon. She met her husband, Mike, while on a business trip to the bay area shortly before relocating, and they have been happily married since 1994. Christi worked as a Business Systems Analyst for 15 years before making the decision to leave to raise alpacas.

We are native Californian’s – born and raised in sunny San Diego. After many years in the fast-paced, high-stress corporate world we both developed a desire to find a way to combine our longing for a simpler country life with a profitable, home-based business and were ready to make some dramatic changes in our lives. We just weren’t quite sure what shape those changes would take.

Then, in 1998, Cathy was on a plane returning from a business trip and happened across an AOBA ad in the American Way magazine. The ad depicted an adorable, fuzzy animal that looked like you could just reach out and hug it. Once home she went onto the AOBA website to learn more about these fascinating creatures. Intrigued, she decided to share the information with Christi & Mike. Over the next couple of years we all continued to research and learn more about alpacas.

In 2000, we attended a ‘Business & Husbandry Workshop for New Breeders’. By the time the seminar was over we were hooked and knew that we had found what we had been looking for. Over the next couple of years we started laying the groundwork to put our plan into action. We started looking at property in mid-2001 and it took 18 months of searching until we finally found the perfect place to begin our adventure.

In early 2004 we wrote a seven-year business plan which we successfully used to secure funding from the USDA Farm Services Agency (FSA) for our start-up. Construction on ranch infrastructure began in September 2004, with the help of Mike and a family friend. It took about 2 ½ months to complete the first shelter (72’ x 18’) and pen for our foundation herd – 7 females and 5 males. Each year finds us expanding our ranch with more pens and shelters for our ever-growing herd. And, each year we welcome the birth of a new batch of crias – every year’s group larger than the last.

In 2005 we expanded our alpaca business to include finished alpaca products, as well as other gifts and accessories. We started this phase of our business by doing private, in-home parties and vending at various alpaca events. Then, in 2006, we took it to the next level with the launch of our on-line Ranch Store.

YES – not only was choosing to raise alpacas the right business decision for us, it was also the right personal decision. Every morning when we go out to care for our ‘kids’ they do something to make us smile – sometimes it’s the antics of the little ones when they chase and kick up their heels, or sometimes it’s a whisper-soft brush from a nuzzle to the cheek – but, it’s always something!

We invite you to come visit us and see all that Alpaca Acres Ranch has to offer. Our crias will capture your heart!

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