06/07/2025
Although the Early Bird offer has finished there are still places left to book onto the BAS members Alpaca Conference
https://bas-uk.com/event/bas-conference-2025/
Our next guest lecture is to be delivered by the internationally renowned Tim Hey of Inca Alpaca, who is also a BAS Judge and Judge Tutor. Tim has kindly agreed to speak on:
‘Making the most of your alpaca business’
What will be covered in the lecture:
• What makes an alpaca business successful
• Setting goals
• Identifying your market
• Domestic (local and national)
• Export (new markets)
• Producing stock to meet demand and reach our goals
• DNA Colour and Skin Testing
• Performance analysis
• Breeding strategies
• Marketing and branding
• Herd health
With over thirty years of experience in the global alpaca industry, Tim Hey draws on his knowledge to bring a condensed summary of some extremely valuable tips and techniques that he has observed and implements in his own business at Inca Alpaca. The aim of this lecture is to get owners thinking about setting goals, planning and then reducing the risk of failure through using proven strategies. This talk will be invaluable for those with a small, medium or large herd at the start or well into their alpaca journey.
Tim Hey grew up in Australia surrounded by alpacas and was interested in many facets of his family’s alpaca business. His main areas of involvement included alpaca selection, breeding, showing, fibre harvesting and sales. As well as his role with the family herd, he also held a position on the Australian Alpaca Association Tasmanian Regional committee and was involved in show organisation throughout the region. In the mid nineteen nineties Tim was lucky enough to spend time in Victoria with Coricancha Alpaca Stud. Here is knowledge increased further as he gained experience in large scale alpaca farming. In 1998 he graduated from the University of Tasmania with an Applied Science degree and in 2002 came to England to work for one of the leading alpaca producers in the UK. Here he undertook a herd manager’s role of approximately 170 alpacas.
Two trips to Peru selecting stock for import to Europe in 2003 and 2004 increased his knowledge further as he worked alongside the Tijera family (Koricancha) and Rural Alianza EPS who owned 43000 alpacas
Tim qualified as a BAS judge in 2006 and has had the privilege of judging alpaca shows all over the world. He visited China as a selection and breeding consultant on invitation from a Chinese University and Government agency and was invited to judge the halter classes at the Australian Alpaca Association 25th anniversary National Show in Sydney in 2015. Another of Tim’s judging highlights have been judging the 2011, 2018 and 2021 BAS National Show and the World Alpaca Conference Show in Germany in 2025.
Tim and his family now run Inca Alpaca where we have a herd of over 350 mainly black and grey alpacas on farm in Dorset and he continues his work as a BAS judge tutor and trainer. Inca Alpaca have exported alpacas across Europe, the Middle East and India and continue to strive to make the breed more productive, predictable and push towards commercialisation.
