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AlpacaNation Q&A with Smith KREKK Alpacas
Karen Thatcher-Smith & Ronald Smith
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7525 Hahn Rd, Bangor, PA 18013
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610.588.5510 FARM
AlpacaNation: What makes us different?
Smith KREKK Alpacas: At Smith KREKK Alpacas, we offer a pilot program, for those who are considering alpacas but are still unsure.
Alpaca Leasing.
Smith KREKK will rent 2 alpacas to their customers for 2 months. The customer has the opportunity to have the alpacas under their care to see what ownership would actually involve. At the end of the 2 months, our customer has the option of returning the alpacas to Smith KREKK--no questions asked, purchasing the rented alpacas or returning them and receiving a credit for the rental amount on the purchase of any Smith KREKK Alpacas.
We feel that it is a win/win situation. If you feel that alpacas are definitely in your future--you already have some basic hands on experience. If you decide that they are really not what you thought they would be, the only thing you have lost is the rental fee.
During your rental period we will be in constant contact with you to answer any questions you may have. We will supply-feed, hay and month
AlpacaNation: How long have you been in the alpaca business?
Smith KREKK Alpacas: 5 years and counting.
AlpacaNation: How did you decide on your farm name? Is there a special meaning behind the name?
Smith KREKK Alpacas: Smith KREKK is a compilation of all of our names.
Karen, Ron, Erin, Kylea and Karson Smith. Simple as that.
AlpacaNation: How did you become interested in alpacas?
Smith KREKK Alpacas: My husband came home from work one day and asked if I have ever heard of alpacas. My favorite response for anything I don't know about is "I'll GOOGLE that".
The search began. We started to research. Then went to a local fiber festival and talked to a few farms. Visited a few farms. Bought a few alpacas. Bought a few more alpacas. Bred alpacas, had a couple of cria. The rest is history.
AlpacaNation: Tell us about yourself...
Smith KREKK Alpacas: Smith KREKK is a small farm with big ambitions.
Our farm is dedicated to honesty, integrity, healthy and happy alpacas, and making sure every customer feels that they have purchased an alpaca that they can profit from. We believe the alpaca industry is in its infancy and we are excited to be part of it.
We are a family run alpaca farm. Besides my husband Ron and myself (Karen), we have 3 daughters--Erin is sixteen and twin 5 year old daughters, Karson and Ky.
My brother is always available to help and does a lot of our transportation and is also a shearer. He is always willing to help during herd health days--he will NOT trim teeth--and needs to leave the area!!
AlpacaNation: What sets your farm and herd apart from others in the industry?
Smith KREKK Alpacas: I feel that outstanding support is crucial. We all know what it feels like to be unsure about what we are doing, and to be able to make a phone call to an experienced person is priceless. If we are not able to answer the question from personal experience, I contact our mentors and/or alpaca friends to get the information that is needed.
We will be the first to tell you that we don't know it all, but we will give it our all.
We have sold primarily to new farms. We are proud of the follow up services we offer and feel that new owners are very comfortable with us and give us a call to ask all the questions they have.
We even have the answers to the questions that the new owners don't even know that thay have.
We offer references from our existing customers, farms we have purchased from and farms that we have worked with over the past 5 years.
AlpacaNation: Describe your first alpaca purchase... would you do anything differently today?
Smith KREKK Alpacas: We purchased three females. One bred, one soon to be bred and a yearling. I don't think I would have done it differently. We only went to one farm (Anglewood Alpacas) and it was a great farm to choose.
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