Discover Delmarva: Free-Range Fleece

BERLIN, Md. – A short drive from the Ocean City boardwalk, just outside of Berlin, Ocean Breeze Alpacas trades saltwater for pastures. Founded by Nancy Taylor, this working farm is a model of sustainable agritourism on the Eastern Shore.

“I just had a passion for knitting for a long, long time. Colors, textures, patterns. And so it was just a fun hobby at first. And now, now it’s turned into more of a business”, Nancy tells WMDT.

And that business gets its yarn straight from the source. The star of the show? Alpacas! – gentle, cold-weather-loving cousins to the llama that originate from the Andes Mountains. But this herd of curious, fluffy camelids is proving that life is spit-tacular where the beach meets the fleece.

It starts with an annual alpaca shearing – turning raw fleece into sustainable, homegrown fiber. A few years ago, Marina Kain joined the farm, bringing a shared passion for alpacas, spinning, weaving, and handmade fiber products.

“They get shorn once a year so that we can turn their fur into yarn. We shear them, and then we bag the fiber and hang it in our barn”, says Marina.

“I met Marina at one of the shows that we were doing, and she wanted to volunteer and it just worked out perfect because she has so many skills that I don’t have”, says Nancy Taylor.

And Marina’s skills have helped drive the business with a shop stocked with goodies made right here on the farm.

“We have a ton of hand-knitted goods by women in our community, as well as yarn from our animals, different clothing, and other commercial alpaca products.”

Ocean Breeze Alpacas farm store is open every Saturday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. If you’d like to visit the farm or shop outside of their regular Saturday hours, you can contact them in advance. Visit Ocean Breeze Alpacas for more information.