Atacama Alpacas is based at Glyndebourne Farm, close to Glyndebourne Opera house, in an Area of Outstanding natural Beauty in East Sussex. With the herd of alpacas roaming over pastures at the foot of the South Downs, these intriguing animals have become a well-known and much-loved feature of the local landscape.
Our ethos at Atacama Alpacas is founded on a genuine and total commitment to both our customers and our animals.
The alpacas benefit from our holistic approach to their care, development and herd management. We don't breed alpacas simply to sell on for a profit - we are in the alpaca business because we love working with the animals and are totally committed to their long term existence in the UK and abroad.
Our customers also appreciate our personal approach. Buying an alpaca from Atacama Alpacas is just the first step in an on-going two-way relationship, where we ensure you get the very best out of your investment. After-sales support is much more than a mere afterthought, and each year we travel in excess of 15,000 miles providing support and advice to new alpaca owners.
Although a new name to the industry Atacama Alpacas’ management team have a long association with the British, and indeed international, alpaca industry.
It all started back in the early 1990s when Philip O’Conor worked with Michael Harcombe and Bryan Pantin, who began exporting alpacas from South America to North America and Australia. We were tasked by various clients to select for them the best alpacas, both quality breeding females and the finest stud males. At this time we worked closely with John Selwyn Gummer MP, then Secretary of State for Agriculture, to develop Britain's first export protocol for alpacas and llamas from Chile direct to the UK.
One of our first and most exciting finds in Northern Chile was the now famous stud Highlander, whose prestigious bloodline has shaped the Australian alpaca industry with show-winning progeny. Many of the most valuable alpacas around the world have Highlander in their bloodline.
Between 1995 and 2000 we exported more than 1,000 alpacas from South America to the UK - establishing what are now, some of the premier herds in the UK. These alpacas have become the foundations for today's thriving British industry.
In 2000, we moved to Glyndebourne Farm where Atlantic Alpacas matured and developed to reflect the needs of the UK alpaca community. The farm covers 283 acres of grassland, which is both fenced and managed purely for alpacas and llamas.
In late 2005 The Atlantic herd merged with EP Cambridge (Australia) to form EP Cambridge (UK), whose herd is still based at Glyndebourne Farm as well in Wiltshire. In 2008 Atacama Alpacas was formed to manage the EP Cambridge herd that is based at Glyndebourne Farm.
We now only import alpacas in order to supplement and enhance the quality of the UK breeding stock, drawing from the world class breeding lines available in Australia, Chile and Peru. Our focus is on providing a comprehensive all-round service for alpaca owners from all backgrounds and degrees of experience, where the sale of alpacas is just a small part of the service we provide.
If you're not sure whether alpacas are right for you, feel free to come down to the farm and spend some time with us to learn more about these delightful, gentle and profitable creatures.
Philip O'Conor
Director, Atacama Alpacas Ltd