Exhibitions, Fairs, Shows and Markets Diary:
WESTERN CAPE provincial farming recognition for Helderstroom Alpacas
We are thrilled that on Friday 6th August in Stellenbosch Alison was presented with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture Top Female Farming Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2010 under the Smallholder Livestock category.
Naturally we are delighted, not only for ourselves and Helderstroom Alpacas, but for the alpaca industry as a whole. This can only bode well for alpaca farming in South Africa.
Alison's rather original trophy!
Another success for Helderstroom Alpacas was first prize in the Cape Guild of Spinners and Weavers annual spinning competition which was won by our employee, Brenda Willemse, with an unusual skein spun as a single yarn of variegated fibre. This means three colours being drafted simultaneously to form the yarn.
Brenda and Alison, proud owners of their respective trophies!
CAPE TOWN OPEN DAY FOR HELDERSTROOM ALPACAS
During October 2010 Helderstroom Alpacas made its first appearance in Cape Town. We held a most successful open day, along with other crafters, in a beautiful home in Constantia. Four alpacas travelled over the mountains with us to present themselves in the leafy suburbs, while we set up shop and visitors enjoyed a day with a difference. Pictured below is Christopher with our hostess Niki and four of our girls - including Salt and Pepper!
Helderstroom alpacas enjoying their Constantia surroundings!
THIRD OPEN DAY
We held our third and most successful open day on Saturday 13th November 2010. This was attended by 450 visitors - we never expected so much interest! 27 stallholders set up their stands around the garden and the standard of hand made products was extremely high. The emphasis on our open day is "high standard, hand made"! And always quality before quantity. Our home art gallery provided space for artists from Villiersdorp to sell their paintings whilst ladies from our local pet care charity organised a very lively tea and cake stand.
BABA INDABA
Helderstroom Alpacas exhibited for the first time at the prestigious three day Cape Town "Baba Indaba" held at the Convention Centre from Friday the 5th to Sunday the 7th of August 2011. We exhibited over 300 items from our classic, contemporary and Victorian ranges, including baby matinee jackets, pullovers, cardigans and jackets for babies and toddlers, 1938 pattern baby carrying capes, jackets for twins, dungarees, romper suits, "kangaroo" baby sleeping bags, even two beautiful Christening dresses as well as mums' nursing capes and bed jackets. It was a fairly hectic three days, we sold well and we certainly will be there again.
Open Day stalls
CALLING ALL GRANNIES!
We continue to grow our range of babies' clothes, hats and more innovative bootees. Take a look at little Yeila modelling baby cardis and jumpers on our Babywear and Toddlers page and Hillary showing off some of our toddler range. Why not spoil your grandchild with one of our individually designed alpaca baby tops? Babies stand head and shoulders above the rest in pure organic alpaca! Find us at the Baba Indaba 5-7 August 2011 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre!
SCHOOL VISITS
Pictured below is a scene at Helderstroom Alpacas from a 2010 school visit. Children are informed on what an alpaca is, where it comes from, what we do with the fibre, and - best of all - how to cuddle an alpaca!
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Rare ALPACA TWINS born at Helderstroom - May, 2009
The birth of live twin girl alpacas caused quite a stir! Firstly all the books say that twins rarely survive, one or both will be born dead, the mother will abort - or some other disaster will occur. So when our vet, having safely delivered a healthy but very small white female 'cria' (baby alpaca), did a post-natal internal examination and pronounced, 'TWINS', we could hardly believe what we were hearing - and then dreaded the consequence.
However, Salt and Pepper both entered the world successfully and although their combined weight represented one underweight 'cria' , they have both gone on to develop into two healthy girls!
We believe Pepper, whose tiny birth weight was only 2.4 kgs, could be a record for a live newborn cria, having gone to full term. Salt at 3.7 kgs was more than a kilogram heavier - but still small.
Taki, their mother, was an inexperienced maiden and since Pepper was not only underweight at birth but weak as well, we began a regime of bottle feeding from the outset. Salt, however, quickly bonded with her mother and has been raised naturally. Pepper, who was bottle-fed to seven months old, has become very much the family pet – almost the company mascot – since, although she grazes outside by day, she spends her night time in the house alongside three cocker spaniels, cats – and ourselves.
Our company logo, which depicts alpaca twins, was designed, unwittingly, by a graphic artist long before Salt and Pepper were even a twinkle in their mother's eye! The twins have been a huge bonus for us, and an attraction for visitors to Helderstroom Alpacas. They are irresistible!
Click here for more images of the twins and Pepper's story
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