Alpacas find home in Waccabuc | The Lewisboro Ledger

Alpacas find home in Waccabuc
The Lewisboro Ledger - November 29 2006

They are friendly and gentle, with soft brown eyes and lush coats. They even come when called.

But they are not the family canines. Instead they are members of a herd of a dozen alpacas owned by Waccabuc resident Dee DelBello.

Ms. DelBello, with the support of her husband Al, is raising and breeding the animals on their 32-acre property on Mead Street. Ms. DelBello periodically shears their fleece and ships it to Peru, where it is woven by local women into knitwear that is warm, durable and as soft as cashmere.

When complete, the hand-knitted items are shipped back to America where they are marketed by Alpaca Brands, LLC under the label of Ideuma Creek Alpaca Knitwear, one of the lines carried by the company.

Alpaca Brands, LLC is a partnership between Ms. DelBello, another alpaca farmer from upstate New York, and a manufacturing and production manager from Florida. [more]