Located on 21 acres in the mountains of northeast Tennessee, Mountain Spirit Alpacas specializes in breeding elite huacaya alpacas for highest quality fiber.   Starting with a foundation herd of elite females and using sires from Snowmass Alpacas, we seek to breed a prestige pedigree herd of Huacaya alpacas over multiple generations that meets the highest standards in the commercial fiber industry for specialty fleece -- alpacas that will be sought after as breeding stock for fiber herds of the future in the developing global market.  

Our passion for breeding a prestige and homogeneous herd is matched by our commitment to know our customers and their needs and goals, and then provide exceptional on-going service and support to facilitate the success of clients who seek any of our services: 

• We sell breeding stock, fiber animals, and pets
• We offer breeding services: on our farm or your farm, including mobile & drive-by breeding
• We provide start-up and development assistance and agistment

The farm is owned and operated by Mike and Lisa Hindman.  After spending weekends and vacations over five years at nearby Watauga Lake, in 2007 Mike retired from his 35 year career in health care -- as an academic cardiologist, a practicing preventive cardiologist, and finally a hospital and health system executive -- to create Mountain Spirit Alpacas in Butler, Tennessee. Lisa continues her health care career in clinical management with a multi-center clinical research company headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

To achieve our vision of a prestige pedigree herd, our first focus was to acquire a foundation herd with emphases on fiber and show-winning genetics.  Indeed, the package of 11 predominantly young breeders and first-bred maidens has impressive genetics: Hemingway, Camilio, Peruvian K-2, Hemingway’s Accoyo Nautilus, 4Peruvian Pachacuti, Evander, MSA Peruvian Cannonero, NWA Einstein among the sires and grandsires, as well as several show-quality and stud dams.   

Secondly, to achieve our breeding goals – improve fineness and uniformity of fleece while maximizing density and staple length – we chose to breed our foundation females and resulting female progeny to herd sires from Snowmass Alpacas. The Snowmass trademark -- an alpaca with a standout look and advanced, fine fleece -- was most attractive, especially the following specific features of Snowmass Alpacas: (1) soundness of body and limb and a well-balanced frame, (2) fineness of blanket fleece with extension of blanket fiber through brisket, shoulders, neck, head, and upper legs; hence, yield is largely maintained despite emphasis on fineness, and (3) favorable fleece qualities: lack of modulation, handle, color uniformity, staple length, and crimp 

Our breeding stock, breeding plan metrics for fiber and physical characteristics of the animals, and very specific measurable objectives driving breeding decisions all contribute to a high likelihood that each successive generation will be an improvement on the prior generation, with the end result being a homogeneous herd of elite alpacas. 

We are excited about the continued development of the alpaca industry in North America. Breeding and raising alpacas continue to be attractive pursuits, not only because of the rural, simpler, and more peaceful and rewarding way of life and the unique, fascinating, and gentle animals, but also because of the potential for long term financial returns and tax benefits. Whether you are dreaming, planning, or already developing or growing a small fiber-craft farm or a larger breeding or fiber operation, alpacas have much to offer!

Mike and Lisa Hindman

Mountain Spirit Alpacas