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Family scraps corporate life for shaggy friends in Whately
By Chris Carl
Staff Writer
WHATELY - Two brothers and their families walked away from corporate living a few years ago to take on the care, feeding and breeding of a herd of alpacas. Michael and Howard Beaudry of Christian Lane in Whately, along with their wives, Marion and Lisa, came together to make the descision to sell their three Subway franchises and their homes. They put their money into a new property with two homes and 20 acres to raise alpacas.
"It was a lifestyle choice. The way we were living was wearing us thin", said Micheal Beaudry.
North East Alpacas made its debut in 2001, offering sales, breeding, fiber products, and boarding. Starting with five animals, the herd now numbers 26 - and is growing. Each family member still holds an outside full-time job and chores are shared between families, switching off weekly.
Howard Beaudry said having the families work together allows them to each "bring something to the table."
"After a stressful day, I love to come home to them. They're very tranquil - just looking in their faces is so serene," said Marion Beaudry.
The alpacas, which are native to the Andes Mountains of Peru, Chile and Bolivia, are a low-maintenance animal with minimal pasturing needs. They were first brought to the United States in 1984, but are no longer imported. According to information provided by the Beaudrys, there are about 60,000 alpacas in the U.S. Given the alpacas long gestation period of 11 months, supple and demand has made them an expensive but potentially lucrative investments.
Michael Beaudry said the highest price for an individual animal was $580,000 for an "elite" male. It is also typical for stud fees to go from $7,500 to $10,000 for the best breeders.
According to the Beaudrys, demand for alpaca fiber is increasing, with high fashion designers such as Bill Blass and Calvin Klein producing suits and top coats from alpaca fiber.
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