“Because we don’t want to grow grapes.” That was the spontaneous response when asked “Why Alpacas?” Alpacas of Somerset Farm was created in our hearts in 1978 when we moved to the beautiful Sierra Nevada foothills. As Dianna's retirement approached we began searching for a business that would allow us to stay at home and enjoy the country lifestyle, utilize the tax advantages that come along with owning acreage in an agricultural area, and provide an income. Combined with our love of animals, raising alpacas more than fit the requirements. In March 2005, Alpacas of Somerset Farm was established with the purchase of our first foundation female.

 

When we moved from Southern California (we refer to it as our “escape from L.A.”) to the small town of Fair Play in the Sierra Nevada foothills, we didn’t move alone. Included in the move were our daughter and son (ages 7 and 5) along with 5 cats, a dog, 2 Arabian horses, and all of our worldly goods. We were following our dream of “life in the country” and we never looked back. Perhaps I should mention that neither of us had jobs—or even prospects for jobs.

 

Well, as the saying goes, time marched on and the years flew by. We found jobs, our children are raised with lives of their own, our cat and dog population changed faces many times over, the pasture is void of horses, and after all these years in one location you can imagine the worldly goods scene (sure glad we aren’t planning on moving from here!) Fair Play has changed over the years too. When we moved here, people were just beginning to discover how perfect a location this area is for growing grapes. Over the years, land has been cleared, grapes have been planted, and family owned wineries have become the primary draw to this peaceful agricultural setting. We now live in the heart of the southern El Dorado County wine country surrounded by vineyards, wineries, and B & B's populated by owners  just like us...living their dreams.