Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association

What Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association does

Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association (MABA) is a Maryland-based nonprofit membership association founded in 1996 that serves alpaca owners, breeders, fiber artists, and enthusiasts across Maryland and surrounding areas. Its core function is to provide educational and marketing resources for the regional alpaca community, operating as the recognized state affiliate of the national Alpaca Owners Association.

MABA's product surface consists of four main offerings: an Alpaca Marketplace (searchable online directory of alpacas for sale), a Farm Directory (searchable directory of member farms), the annual Maryland Alpaca and Fleece Festival (a community event featuring vendor booths, seminars, youth performance shows, and direct sales), and an online member store selling alpaca fiber merchandise such as socks, winter gloves, fibers, and beanies. The underlying technology infrastructure is delivered through a partnership with Openherd, which provides website hosting, farm and alpaca listings, event management, and e-commerce functionality.

MABA's revenue model is built on three streams: recurring membership dues from individuals and farms, transaction-based revenue from festival vendor registrations and event activities, and transaction-based revenue from store sales. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on the website, the Openherd marketplace, email newsletters, and the annual festival as the primary acquisition and engagement channels. Customer segments are predominantly SMB farms and individual consumers (breeders, fiber artists, enthusiasts, and prospective investors), with no enterprise or large-account customer base.

Name

Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association

Legal name

Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association

Website

https://marylandalpacas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association is a nonprofit membership association founded in 1996 that serves alpaca owners, breeders, fiber artists, and enthusiasts in Maryland and surrounding areas through educational resources, farm and alpaca listings, an annual festival, and an online alpaca fiber store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Livestock Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Camelid Farming (Alpaca & Llama) (AFAEAIAC)

Keywords

• Alpaca breeding association
• Livestock member services
• Alpaca fiber products
• Agricultural festival events
• Farm directory listings

Headquarters

HQ city

Preston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: MABA generates revenue through annual membership dues from alpaca owners, breeders, fiber artists, and enthusiasts. Members receive access to the association's resources, farm listing services through Openherd's free affiliate program, and networking opportunities.
2. Festival and Event Revenue: The annual Maryland Alpaca and Fleece Festival generates revenue through vendor registrations, seminar fees, and related event activities. The association also collects volunteer participation for event execution.
3. Store Sales: MABA operates an online store for alpaca fiber products and merchandise.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MABA is a membership-based regional association formed in 1996 that supports alpaca owners, breeders, fiber artists, and enthusiasts in Maryland and surrounding areas. It operates an Alpaca Marketplace and Farm Directory through the Openherd platform, hosts the annual Maryland Alpaca and Fleece Festival with vendor opportunities, classes, and shows, and sells alpaca fiber merchandise through its online MABA Store.

Product overview

The Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association (MABA) operates a membership-based organization offering a unified portfolio of services centered on alpaca breeding, education, and fiber commerce. The core digital offerings consist of an Alpaca Marketplace for buying and selling alpacas, a Farm Directory connecting visitors with local breeders, and an annual Maryland Alpaca and Fleece Festival event. A members-only store provides alpaca fiber products. These products collectively support the association's mission to provide educational and marketing opportunities for Maryland alpaca enthusiasts, formed in 1996.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alpaca Marketplace Online directory connecting prospective alpaca buyers with Maryland alpaca farms, allowing users to search for alpacas for sale and find farms in their area. Operates through the Openherd platform integrated with the MABA website.
• Farm Directory Searchable directory of alpaca farms in Maryland for visitors to find and visit local alpaca breeders. Member farms are listed via Openherd's affiliate program for free.
• Maryland Alpaca and Fleece Festival Annual festival featuring alpaca and llama youth performance shows, vendor opportunities, seminars, classes, and educational programming about alpacas and fiber arts. Open to the public and serves as a major community engagement event.
• MABA Store Online store offering alpaca fiber products and merchandise including socks, winter gloves, fibers, and beanies for association members and supporters.
• MABA Annual Membership Annual recurring membership for alpaca owners, breeders, fiber artists, and enthusiasts, providing access to association resources, farm listing services through Openherd's affiliate program, networking opportunities, and event participation.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Alpaca Owners AssociationcoreOthersMABA is a proud affiliate of the Alpaca Owners Association (alpacaowners.com). This affiliation provides MABA with national-level organizational support, resources, and credibility within the broader alpaca breeding industry. The relationship connects Maryland breeders to the national alpaca community.
• OpenherdcoreTechnology or IntegrationMABA utilizes Openherd as its primary technology platform for website hosting, farm listings, alpaca sales listings, event management, and member store functionality. The association maintains an affiliate program with Openherd that allows members to list farms for free. Openherd provides the underlying infrastructure for MABA's digital presence and marketplace functionality.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Openherd: Online alpaca marketplace and farm-directory platform that powers MABA's website, listings, store, and event management. Direct technology/infrastructure partner and effectively the backend for MABA's digital offering.

Emerging players

• Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (Maryland Sheep Breeders Association): Long-running Maryland-based fiber and livestock festival/association. Comparable as a Maryland-rooted membership organization running a flagship fiber festival, though focused on sheep rather than alpacas.
• Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America (AFCNA): Fiber-focused cooperative that pools and markets alpaca fiber from member farms. Adjacent to MABA's fiber-product mission, monetizing the downstream fiber stream that MABA's member farms produce.
• Suri Network: Breed-specific (Suri) alpaca association providing registration, education, and marketing for Suri alpaca owners. Partial overlap with MABA's breeder-support mission but focused on a single breed type.

Regional players

• Carolina Alpaca Breeders & Owners (CABO): Regional alpaca breeder network serving the Carolinas, providing farm directories and member resources. Comparable to MABA in regional scope and breeder-association activities, though in a different geography.
• Great Lakes Alpaca Association: Regional alpaca association covering Great Lakes states with member farms, shows, and fiber events. Similar regional membership and event model to MABA but in the Midwest.

Broad incumbents

• Alpaca Owners Association (AOA): National-level alpaca trade association of which MABA is a proud affiliate. Operates the same membership, education, and registry model at a U.S.-wide scale, making it the closest functional peer and the umbrella organization above MABA.

Direct peers

• New England Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association: Regional alpaca breeder association covering the New England states with membership services, farm directories, and fiber programming. Operates the same regional-association playbook as MABA.
• Empire Alpaca Association: New York/Mid-Atlantic regional alpaca breeders association running membership, shows, and farm listings. Closely matches MABA's structure as a state/regional breeder association in the Northeastern U.S.
• Pennsylvania Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association (PAOBA): Regional alpaca breeders association serving Pennsylvania with membership, education, and an alpaca showcase event. Most direct comparable to MABA in mission, geography tier, and event-driven model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/marylandalpacafestival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association