Lonson, who grew up on a farm in South Africa,


got her first taste of raising alpacas in 1998, when she and her husband, Gunnar, decided to invest in a couple animals as a tax write-off and keep them on their two-acre property in Hope Ranch. Carole-Anne, however, soon fell in love with her tax write-offs and discovered that she had a knack for the business. Under her caring eye, the original handful of alpacas multiplied and outgrew the two acres. The Lonsons relocated themselves and the alpacas to Carpinteria six years ago, and the project has con- tinued to grow. Now Canzelle Alpacas boasts 50 of its own animals as well as 100 boarders—animals owned by investors but housed and cared for at Canzelle. Carpinteria’s mild climate is ideal for alpacas, and


the Lonsons’ ranch in the slope of the foothills is alpaca heaven. In fair weather, the alpacas roam the farm during the day, grazing in the pastures and shad- ing themselves under wide-brimmed oaks or among orange trees. (Carole-Anne claims that her animals’ good health is due, in part, to the alpacas penchant for vitamin C rich oranges.) And whether or not the animals take note, their real estate boasts some of the


finest views of Carpinteria Valley, the Pacific Ocean, and the Channel Islands. Two wooden barns house the alpacas during inclement weather, and at night the huggable in- vestments are protected inside a fenced enclosure reinforced with concrete at the base to keep out the coyotes and mountain lions who also call the foothills home. During the cool winter months, the alpaca fleece


grows thick and long. Their coats are shorn every June, after which, Lonson says, the alpacas prance around in celebration of their new summer frocks. The fleece is then spun into organic yarn, which sells as quickly as it is made thanks to the growing popu- larity of knitting. Locally, the Treasure Hunt sells Canzelle Alpacas yarn. Canzelle also produces champion alpacas in its


breeding program. The farm breeds silvery gray alpacas, a rare color sold for a higher price than the more common whites and browns. Lonson takes the breeding program very seriously, selecting for healthy offspring with high-quality fleece. “You want a lot of very soft sweaters from every


cArpinteriA’S MilD cliMAte iS iDeAl for AlpAcAS, AnD the lonSonS’ rAnch in the Slope of the foothillS iS AlpAcA heAVen.


66 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE


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