Q&A: 350 pounds of excitement at Hubbardston alpaca farm

Founded in 2010, Plain View Farm in Hubbardston is the embodiment of Keith Tetreault’s lifelong love of alpacas and llamas. Each interaction with the animals brought him joy, inspiring him and his wife, Debbie, to fully dedicate themselves to raising alpacas and llamas on their six-acre farm. Together, they educate the public and create products from the gathered fiber, which are sold in their barn gift shop. How did your love for alpacas and llamas begin? The first llama I ever met, kissed me. I was at a llama bazaar in Vermont and when I turned around, I got kissed. Fast forward, there was an alpaca show at the DCU Center, and I closed the place down both days. That spring, we bought our house in Hubbardston and one of my standard jokes at the Spencer Fair was to take my credit card away from me before I bought everything out of the alpaca tent. Thirty days after the fair in October 2010, we bought our first alpacas. What was your original vision? I thought our business would be raising and selling alpacas and maybe selling a couple pairs of socks here and there. The reality is, I like animals better than people. We have sold animals over the years, but we sell a lot more socks than we do animals. When we first started we had four alpacas who were pregnant. Our largest herd was 50 alpacas, but we stopped breeding them seven years ago. They can live 20-plus years, and I might not, so it wouldn't be fair to my wife or to the animals to leave that many behind. So, I’m down to 21 alpacas, three llamas, 28 chickens, two dogs, and one wife. What does your gift shop offer? My great uncle built a gift shop out of one of our stalls in the barn, and a couple of years back we expanded it, doubling the size of the gift shop and the barn itself. We sell socks, hats, mittens, gloves, sweaters, and more, all made from the alpacas’ fiber. Some of the products are ours. We also buy from importers in Peru, where the animals are native. The fiber is more versatile than people realize. It can be used for cold weather clothes, but also to block weeds in the garden. My wife uses it for felting and crafts. One of our biggest sellers is dryer balls which we make. We sell up to 1,000 dryer balls each year. Right now, our gift shop is open from noon to 5 p.m. Fridays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Christmas, and we set up at many events and craft fairs. How do you attract visitors to the farm? The property is on Route 68, which helps, and we primarily use Facebook and word of mouth. When we set up at different events, people often come back and visit our barn. We are part of the Country Roads Tour, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The tour highlights 21 local shops throughout Phillipston, Templeton, Barre, Hubbardston, and more. For each one you visit, you get a stamp card. If you visit all of them, you are entered in the grand prize of $50 gift cards to each shop. There are other prizes as well. It used to be one weekend, but now it is from Nov. 8 through Dec. 7. We get hundreds of people from the tour. It has become a family holiday tradition for many people, and one group of women even rents a limo to visit all the shops. Why are you so passionate about llamas and alpacas? They're friendly and inquisitive. You reach and touch them, they run away. They're not aggressive. If you want something soft and cuddly, get a puppy or a kitty. If you want to look outside to see these beautiful animals quietly grazing or sitting in the barn, then they are the perfect animals. However, they do require care and live very long. I believe in responsibility and mentor others in llama and alpaca care. I have helped rehome many animals who were facing neglect. The last girl we adopted, Hyacinth, is a one-eyed llama surrendered to MSPCA. She is 350 pounds of excitement and always wants to meet new people. These animals are just special. They give me peace. This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Correspondent Sloane M. Perron.