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Happy Summer!
Regional Fiber Collections are under way across the country, as of now we have 13 drop off points! Over the last few weeks we have been emailing each state that has a collection with all the info they need. In case you missed it - head to the Regional Collection section to see the locations, drop off dates, instructions of setting up an appointment, and directions.
We appreciate everyone taking the time to fill out the 2022 Fiber Survey. This year we had to be particularly mindful in where we opened drop off locations with the cost of transportation and fuel being so elevated. We hope in the years to come we are able to continue to expand this program to reach more areas as the fiber volume warrants it.
NEAFP will also be running a fiber collection and delivering orders to the PAOBA Fleece Show + Seminar in State College, PA on Saturday July 30th, 2022 .
If you plan to use this fiber collection - please RSVP here!
We want to make sure we can accommodate as many farms as possible and stay in communication as we finalize the drop off window for fiber at this event.
So far this year things are moving through the supply chain at a better pace but production is still lagging behind its peak in 2018-2019. We are working and planning production weekly with each of our manufacturers, trying to navigate delays and hiccups as they happen in real time. We are working together to push things along as fast as humanly possible while understanding the full recovery of the economy and supply chain is taking longer than anticipated.
Our inventory is not where we would like it to be at this time of the year, but looking over what is in spinning, knitting, and sewing production now, a lot of key high-volume items will be coming back in stock by Summer’s end and throughout the Fall.
Along with our production still playing catch up, we are seeing the buying patterns of our farms changing. Up until a year ago, the majority began stocking their shelves in August, September, and early October. This allowed us to build up our inventory levels from March until September. In the last year, we are seeing farms purchase products as they come back online, year round, and not waiting until the Fall or Winter.
With higher demand across the board for our alpaca products, buying patterns changing, and a supply chain still trying to fully recover from the shutdowns and delays, it’s been challenging to keep things in stock, even during our historically “slower” months.
We believe this trend will continue for the rest of this year and are recommending farms plan on purchasing their staple products they know will sell when they become available. The farms that are being proactive, instead of reactive, will have the widest selection of products during the busy season and into the holidays.
To stay in the loop on when specific items/colors/sizes come back in stock - be sure to use the wait lists posted on each socks product listing. We also will be adding more product specific wait lists on high volume items that are currently in production in the weeks to come.
We are also closely monitoring our production and transportation costs as inflation is running rampant throughout the entire economy. With inflation where it is currently, continued rising demand for alpaca, and a still recovering production capacity - it’s important for farms to not under price their goods this Fall and Winter.
U.S. Grown, U.S. Made Alpaca is a truly unique and one-of-a-kind item. The amazing natural fiber is grown in small batches by small farms across the country, manufactured by century-old textile mills, and brought to market by the farms who care for the alpacas - making it a very limited, unique natural fiber based product in precious supply.
You should price it accordingly, to reflect the true value and feel-good story behind each item you bring to market, and to ensure your farm captures the highest percentage of profit possible.
The future of your farm, your herd, your business, and the industry depends on your business being run sustainably, especially during times of extreme economic and social volatility. When you undercut your pricing to make a quick buck, and race to the bottom, you are hurting more than just your own bottom line.
NEAFP is going to continue to work with our manufacturing network to build back up supply and make the rest of this year as successful as possible. We believe that production capacity will continue to steadily increase, and hope to be back to peak levels and beyond around the end of this year.
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