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Its been a record breaking winter here in New England. Since our last NEAFP Note went out senselessly entitled "Bring on the Snow", we've received 85" spanning 6 storm systems. As of today, we are 5 feet over our winter snow fall average and although it's been over 50 degrees each of the last three days, there's always the good chance that more is on the way.
The hardest pill to swallow this Winter hasn't been the bitter cold, the longer hours spent doing alpaca chores, or the energy used plowing, snow blowing, and shoveling every few days. It's that we haven't been able to attend two alpaca shows down South to vend our products, speak with farmers, and run fiber collections. The first cancellation was due to a major snowstorm and this past weekend on our way to the Southern Select our truck's 4 wheel drive system had enough snow and surrendered somewhere in Maryland. We would have never guessed our truck and trailer would still be in Maryland being repaired but it's been one of those precarious winters where the best laid plains of mice and men often go awry.
All that being said, this jarring winter has not been without it's benefits. The cruel temps and weather conditions across the country have proven to be a windfall for farms selling alpaca products in their local communities. Sales of our finished products have continued to increase substantially this period and in some regions of the country more than doubled. Severe weather is generally accompanied with slowing down economies but on the micro level it certainly has been beneficial for farms & retailers selling extremely warm products made from U.S. grown alpaca fiber.
With this continued strong growth in product demand year over year, especially in these typically slower seasons, we're excited to launch our 2015 Fiber Purchasing Program. Last year we called for the purchase of 5,000 lbs of fiber that met our requirements and in a little under 8 weeks we had reached and exceeded our goal. Although farms will always get the best bang for their buck when applying raw fiber towards the purchase of our goods, the purchasing program is a great way for farms to turn their excess fiber into cash without bringing it any further up the value add chain.
The demand for quality alpaca products Made in the USA from U.S. Grown alpaca fiber continues to grow each and every year. This growing demand is helping fuel our purchasing program and this year our initial call for fiber has doubled in size, to 10,000 lbs! For all the details, requirements, and to get started head to our 2015 Fiber Purchasing Program section on the website.
To all the Alpaca farms who planned on visiting us in North Carolina or Tennessee, we apologize for mixing up your plans. We plan on attending both shows in 2016 and perhaps may be able to accommodate you at another scheduled event or fiber collection in the year to come.
We appreciate your understanding and as a small token of our Thanks, here's a special offer:
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Tara Swiger answers: Price vs. Value
Do you have trouble charging what your work is worth?
She says, "There is a distinction between PRICE and VALUE.
PRICE = what a thing costs.
VALUE = what a thing is worth to the buyer.
You are responsible for demonstrating the value of what you are selling. The buyer has no idea what kind of work and expense went into creating your product - you need to communicate this to her, in a way that she understands and values.
You communicate this through your photos, your descriptions, your website, how quickly you respond to questions and your whole presence. Online, you build trust by showing up consistently, with a coherent message. In person, you build trust by having a good booth set up, being organized, and speaking clearly and with confidence.
Have a marketing question regarding your alpaca farm and fiber business?
Tara Swiger is taking submissions and will pick a question to answer in an upcoming NEAFP Note.
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