STEW LEONARD'S YONKERS STORE HOSTS ALPACA EVENT

Learn more about these animals from the Andes Mountains

and shop for Alpaca Knitwear

YONKERS, NY., November 16, 2006 – The historic hamlet of Waccabuc in northern Westchester County, N.Y., may not be where you would expect to find an alpaca farm. But, a local resident and businesswoman (Dee DelBello) is doing just that –– raising and breeding these gentle and extraordinary animals. Once a year the animals are sheered and their fleece is sent to Peru to be woven by local women into knitwear that is three times warmer than wool, as soft as cashmere, long-lasting and easy to care for.

“More than 60 percent of alpaca babies die in their primary native country of Peru, so the importing and breeding of alpaca in North America is not only important for saving these precious animals but it is important to increase the awareness of the luxurious fleece they produce,” said DelBello, who partnered with an alpaca farmer in upstate New York and a manufacturing and production manager in Florida and Peru to form Alpaca Brands L.L.C. Their Ideuma Creek Alpaca Knitwear label is one of the lines carried by the company.

“We raise the alpacas locally, send their fleece back to Peru, where local women are paid to knit the garments in their homes, which is a vital source of income for them,” said DelBello.  “The finished knitwear is shipped back to us, and Stew Leonard’s is the first local retailer where the Ideuma Creek brand of hand-knit alpaca products will be available.”

The event will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the front of Stew Leonard’s Yonkers store, located at 1 Stew Leonard’s Drive. Representatives from Ideuma Creek will be on hand with some of their alpacas, educational information and a variety of knitwear ranging from finger puppets and animal hats for children, to cashmere-soft mittens, gloves, scarves, socks and hats for adults.  Items range in price from $1.69 for the fanciful finger puppets up to $24.99 for handmade slippers.  

About Alpaca
Alpaca is a unique fiber –– warm, strong and resilient yet extremely fine and soft. Natural alpaca comes in a range of colors from white, gray, black and shades of beige.

Alpacas are members of the llama family and primarily found in Peru, Bolivia and Chile.  In ancient times, alpaca fiber was known as the "Fiber of Gods” because it provided clothing and transportation for Inca kings. There are 60,000 alpacas registered in the United States, according to the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (www.alpacainfo.com).  Alpacas typically live for 20 years, and require minimal care, needing to be sheared every 12 to 18 months.   They do not bite and because they are herd animals, require minimal fencing.  

About Stew Leonard’s
Stew Leonard’s, a family-owned and operated fresh food store founded in 1969, has three stores in Norwalk and Danbury, Conn. and Yonkers, N.Y., with a fourth store planned to open in early 2007 in Newington, Connecticut. The company was named among FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” for the past five consecutive years. For more information, visit Stew Leonard’s website at www.stewleonards.com.

About Alpaca Brands LLC
Three businesswomen who share a love for alpacas recently founded Alpaca Brands LLC. Alpacas are gentle beautiful animals whose rich, warm fleece has been used for luxurious clothing for thousands of years. The women personally oversee the design and creation of the alpaca garments, melding a historic tradition of creating unique collectors’ items with modern sensibility. They also share a special commitment for providing employment to the women of Peru who hand craft each alpaca item. For more information, visit www.alpacabrands.com.