The North American Alpaca Fiber Producers Cooperative (NAAFP) seeks to address the need of Alpaca Fiber Producers who desire maximum profit return as well as the production of superior products from North American Alpaca Fiber.
NAAFP has been created to establish the highest level of quality products produced in North America for Alpaca Fiber Producers who have their fiber sorted by a Certified Fiber Sorter.
Every business needs a sound foundation to build on; for NAAFP it is the Alpaca Fiber Producers who form that foundation. Whether you are an established member, a new member or a Fiber Producer contemplating membership of NAAFP we hope you will take a few moments to read this overview so that you can better understand how NAAFP works and how you, as a member, can contribute to its growth and success.
The Process:
- Become a member of NAAFP by returning the completed Membership/ RCF agreement with $250.
Physically print out the agreement and write a checkorComplete the process on-line. (Requires mailing, emailing, or faxing of Membership/RCF agreement.)- Have your fiber sorted by a Sorter listed on the "About " page.
- Certified Sorted fiber is then eligible to be sent to your Regional Collection Facility.
List every bag sent to the RCFFeel free to set up a FedEx account and get it linked to NAAFP's Corporate account to take advantage of the member shipping discounts - Once shearing season is over we begin preparing to send fiber in to processing. To make sure everyone has had a chance to get their fiber sorted and shipped we typically start our first run around August 10th.
- Product runs will be analyzed for total weights (to meet processors minimums)
- Bags of fiber will be pulled at the RCF's to be readied for shipment by grade.
- Members who have fiber involved with each run will be emailed a Product Dispersement guide. (your responses on this guide tells us if you want your product back or if we will be marketing it for you) The guide will tell you the amount of your fiber pulled in to the run, what product is being made, the approximate processing cost and the anticipated pricing levels.
- We try to stagger the send off dates of the runs so processing bills do not all come due at the same time.
- Members involved in each run will be invoiced for the approximate cost of their portion of the run. Invoices are due within 10 days of receipt.
- Production times vary based on the item being produced. Some products take longer than others due to having more processing steps.
- We make every attempt to schedule processors. Sometimes unforseen circumstances get in the way of our scheduled time (i.e. bad weather, equipment issues, problems running fiber that was ahead of us, etc).
- As product is finished it is shipped to one or two locations. Each shipment must be inventoried and the product for members who want to receive their items set aside to be packaged, analyzed for the best shipping method and shipped off. This process is completed as quickly as humanly possible.
- As orders come in to our office for products we involve as many of those members who have their products assigned to be wholesaled or distributor sold (your processing cost must be paid in full to be included in a sale). After the sale is finalized and payment is received from the purchaser, checks are disbersed to those members who had product in the sale.
- This process is the same for all 10 grades and completed products.
- At the begining of each Fiscal Year, The Board, determines an operating budget. Within the budget there is a member retains that is invoiced to each member based on:
- The amount of fiber each member had in the cooperative the previous year.
- So your share of overhead ( no processing costs ) just the cost of doing business, is billed and collected in the current fiscal year based on the amount of fiber you had in the system the previous year. Fiscal year 09-10 it was $0.25/ oz.
Mailing Address:
NAAFP
1635 Rapid Lighting Rd.
Sandpoint, ID 83864
Phone: 208-265-8672
Fax: 208-265-2927
