ABOUT US

Northwoods Alpacas is a family run farm located in Western New York approximately 25 minutes from downtown Rochester. Bob & Belinda Grant along with their seven children make their home in a historic 1827 farm house situated on a ‘dream come true’ 12 acre country parcel.

Bob and Belinda grew up in the city and suburbs of Rochester with no farming background whatsoever. After beginning their family in the suburbs and a quick multiplication of children, they soon started outgrowing their small starter home.

Weekend ‘country’ drives and day trips led to dreams of living in the country. Belinda began a several year quest for her next dream house. A list of desires grew longer as time went by for what they would hope to one day have for their ‘home in the country’. An alpaca was never on that early list! It would still be a few years off before they ever heard of the alpaca.

In 1998 their dream of country living came true with the purchase of ‘Northwoods’. A big country home with loads of history and character along with some established fruit trees and woods, plenty of room for a big garden, wide open space for the kids to grow and play, a large stocked pond, and much more…

"We loved being in the country and out in nature. We also had a desire to raise our children in a wholesome environment training them to be responsible and productive from a young age. We thought that raising a few animals would help us with those goals. Having a little bit of land we decided to try some ‘farm’ animals for fun. Hobby farming just kind of evolved for us with the purchase of a few miniature goats and we soon ended up trying our hand at everything from bee keeping to maple sugaring! We raised bunnies for sale, as well as chickens for eggs and meat, turkeys, a solitary goose and a miniature horse named ‘Shadow’ for good measure!” They were hooked on the country lifestyle, but after several years the novelty wore off a bit for just ‘hobby farming’. The desire to be profitable came increasingly to the forefront of what they gave themselves to. The quest for what kind of animals or farming venture for profit began in earnest. Some friends of theirs had mentioned that they were looking into alpacas, and without really having a clue as to what an alpaca was, the first seed had been sown! A ‘crop’ of alpacas was eventually to be in their future! “As a family we spent several years ‘hobby farming’ before we ventured into the wonderful world of alpacas! Once we discovered them, we did a lot of research on their history, use, current market value as well as future potential, etc. We visited several farms that raised alpacas (the animals themselves were so unique and appealing from the first time we saw one!), attended an alpaca show or two, and a seminar on raising them. We really became convinced that these wonderful alpacas are indeed ‘The Worlds Finest Livestock Investment’."

We would be happy to help you discover more about the wonderful ‘World of Alpacas’ and share both resources and personal experience. Contact us for more information or to schedule a farm visit. We’d be happy to have you visit with us and our Northwoods Alpacas!

Bob & Belinda Grant           Email:Info@northwoodsalpacas.com
                                                 Phone 585-494-1371