Charnwood Forest Alpacas

What Charnwood Forest Alpacas does

Charnwood Forest Alpacas (legal entity: Charnwood Forest Limited; consumer brands: PukkaPacas & Friends, The Chilli Bean, CALMs) operates a 110-acre alpaca and animal experience farm at Scamhazel Farm in Boundary, on the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border near Ashby-de-la-Zouch, UK. Founded over 10 years ago by Chris, a former corporate Managing Director, the business opened to the public in 2011 as one of the UK's first farms offering alpaca walk experiences and now houses more than 300 animals (alpacas, horses, donkeys, sheep, pigs, chickens, cats) under a 250-alpaca Animal Welfare Exhibition Licence (NWL/PA03/RE05, valid Sept 2025–Aug 2028).

The product portfolio spans ticketed animal experiences (60-minute alpaca walks, mini walks, cria watch, donkey walks, horse riding/lessons, pony days, sheep walking, paca painting), private events and corporate team building, animal hire (alpacas for weddings), alpaca and horse livery, alpaca sales and stud services, an Adopt-an-Alpaca subscription package (£20/£45.50), and an on-site cafe (The Chilli Bean) and gift shop. A second vertical addresses special educational needs and alternative provision: the ASDAN-accredited CALMs (Cognitive Alpaca Learning Methods) therapy programme for children with autism, ADHD and SEMH needs, Equine Assisted Learning via the proprietary Horseshoe Approach, and SEN-adapted paca painting, with named partnerships across Longdon Park School, John Port Spencer Academy, John Taylor Free School, ALP Nuneaton, Abbot Beyne School, and Eagle's Nest Project (since June 2017).

The business model is fundamentally direct-to-consumer ticket revenue plus on-site ancillary spend (cafe, shop), complemented by B2B/education contracts and animal-care services. Distribution is single-site, physical destination plus a Squarespace online booking system (48-hour advance booking), with gift vouchers also sold through Groupon and Wowcher. Marketing runs through MailChimp email, Facebook and Instagram organic, and Google Analytics remarketing. The company is privately held and founder-owned with no disclosed external investment, no parent, no subsidiaries, and no API/software product surface.

Name

Charnwood Forest Alpacas

Legal name

Charnwood Forest Limited

Website

https://pukkapacas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Charnwood Forest Alpacas operates a 110-acre alpaca and animal experience farm on the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border, serving UK families, schools (SEN/alternative provision), and corporate/private event clients through ticketed animal experiences, on-site cafe and gift shop, animal livery and stud services, and ASDAN-accredited therapy programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Tourism & Animal Experience Venue

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (115210), Horses and Other Equine Production (11292)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Camelid Farming (Alpaca & Llama) (AFAEAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Livestock Showing, Training & Performance Support Services (Non-veterinary) (AFAEALAM), Horse Breeding & Stud Farms (AFAEAGAA)

Keywords

• Animal experience farm
• Alpaca walks
• Equine assisted learning
• Alternative provision education
• Petting farm venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Boundary (near Ashby-de-la-Zouch)

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Farm Experiences: Ticket-based experiences including alpaca walks, cria watch, donkey walks, horse riding, and other animal encounters. Bookings made online with 48-hour advance notice required.
2. Petting Farm Entry: On-site petting farm visits where visitors can feed and interact with animals without prior booking.
3. Cafe Operations (The Chilli Bean): On-site cafe serving hot and cold food, beverages, and afternoon teas. Open Thursday-Sunday.
4. Gift Shop Sales: On-site shop selling alpaca-themed gifts, garments, crafts, keyrings, and personalised items.
5. Alpaca Sales & Stud Services: Sale of alpacas for breeding and pets, along with stud services for herd owners.
6. Alpaca Adoptions: Adoption packages offering certificate, factsheet, and quarterly updates. Premium package includes farm visit and meet-and-greet.
7. Private Events & Celebrations: Birthdays, hen dos, baby showers, weddings, and corporate team building events with various animal experiences.
8. Education Services (CALMs & Alternative Provision): Therapy sessions for children with autism, ADHD, and learning difficulties. Alternative provision programs for schools with ASDAN accreditation.
9. Horse Livery: On-site stables called 'The Yard' with 7 outdoor stables and 13 acres of grazing available.
10. Alpaca For Hire: Alpacas available for weddings and events hire, with various 'alpackages' available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Charnwood Forest Alpacas operates a 110-acre farm on the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border offering bookable animal experiences with alpacas, horses, donkeys and other livestock, alongside an on-site cafe, gift shop, animal sales and stud services, livery, and accredited educational/therapy programmes such as CALMs and Equine Assisted Learning. The farm is one of the first, original and largest alpaca farms open to the public in the UK, hosting families, school groups, corporate teams and private events.

Product overview

Charnwood Forest Alpacas operates as an alpaca farm experience business on a 110-acre site on the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border. The company offers a diverse portfolio of animal experiences centred around alpacas, horses, and donkeys. Core experience products include alpaca walks (60-minute, mini, and date night variants), cria watch experiences for baby alpacas, horse riding experiences and lessons, and donkey walks and grooming sessions. Educational offerings include CALMs Therapy (ASDAN-accredited programme for children with SEN) and Equine Assisted Learning for personal and corporate development. The business also operates The Chilli Bean cafe serving food and afternoon tea, a gift shop selling alpaca-themed merchandise and adoption packages, and provides animal hire services for weddings and events. Additional services include alpaca and horse livery, stud services, and alpaca sales. The company holds an animal welfare licence from North West Leicestershire District Council.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Chilli Bean: On-site cafe and bar operating Thursday to Sunday, 9am-4pm, serving farm breakfasts, homemade sandwiches, cakes, grazing boards and freshly ground coffee
• CALMs (Cognitive Alpaca Learning Methods)
• Equine Assisted Learning
• Cognitive Animal Learning Methods (CALMs)

Products and services

• Alpaca Walk Experience A 60-minute guided walk with friendly alpacas around the 110-acre farm, available to families, couples and visitors seeking an interactive countryside animal encounter.
• Horse Riding Experiences & Lessons

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10 years operating as one of the UK's first public alpaca farms
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Longdon Park SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongdon Park School partners with Charnwood Forest Alpacas for Alternative Provision Animal sessions, providing educational experiences for students with SEMH needs.
• John Port Spencer AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Port Spencer Academy partners with Charnwood Forest Alpacas for Alternative Provision Animal sessions as part of their student support programme.
• John Taylor Free SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Taylor Free School works with Charnwood Forest Alpacas for Alternative Provision Animal sessions.
• ALP NuneatoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALP Nuneaton partners with Charnwood Forest Alpacas for Alternative Provision Animal sessions, with positive feedback from students.
• Abbot Beyne SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAbbot Beyne School partners with Charnwood Forest Alpacas for Alternative Provision Animal sessions.
• Eagle's Nest Project Alternative ProvisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership since June 2017 providing animal experiences for young people with a wide range of SEMH needs. The farm environment provides learning opportunities with the right mix of acceptance and challenge to support students.
• ASDANcoreOthersASDAN accreditation is attached to all CALMs learning outcomes and certificates of achievement offered through the educational programmes.
• North West Leicestershire District CouncilcoreOthersLicenced by North West Leicestershire District Council under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Licence Number: NWL/PA03 for keeping/training animals for exhibition at Scamhazel Farm - 250 alpacas. Licence valid 1st September 2025 - August 2028.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Spring Farm Alpacas: UK alpaca farm offering alpaca walks, experiences, and stud services with a similar mix of consumer tourism and breeding/herd-owner services. Comparable product mix and direct-to-consumer model.
• Catanger Alpacas: Long-established UK alpaca farm offering alpaca walks, experiences, and breeding stock. Directly comparable to Charnwood Forest Alpacas in core alpaca experience offerings, geography (English Midlands), and B2B alpaca sales.
• Beck Brow Alpacas: One of the UK's leading alpaca studs and breeders, also offering alpaca experiences and stud services. Comparable in pedigree breeding focus, alpaca sales revenue stream, and alpaca encounter offerings.
• Willow Farm Alpacas: UK alpaca farm offering alpaca experiences and walks. Operates a similar small-team experience venue model with breeding and pet encounter revenue streams.

Broad incumbents

• Folly Farm: Major Welsh family attraction combining zoo, farm animals, vintage funfair, and indoor play. Much larger scale but comparable as a UK farm-animal experience destination with education programming and on-site food/retail.
• White Post Farm: Long-running Nottinghamshire farm attraction with hands-on animal encounters, events, and educational visits. Highly comparable operating model of paid animal experiences plus school/group visits in the East Midlands region.
• Cotswold Farm Park: Established UK family farm attraction founded by Adam Henson offering rare breed encounters, animal experiences, and educational programming. Broader livestock portfolio but highly comparable as a farm-based experience destination with educational offerings.
• Odds Farm Park: UK family farm attraction in Buckinghamshire offering animal encounters, seasonal events, and on-site food. Comparable operating model (working farm + visitor experiences + cafe + retail), though broader species mix without an alpaca specialty.
• Snettisham Park: Norfolk working farm offering animal experiences (deer safari, lamb feeding, kids' activities) and on-site food. Comparable farm experience + cafe + school visits model, though more deer-focused than alpaca-focused.

Others

• The Donkey Sanctuary: Major UK equine welfare charity operating sanctuaries with public visits and donkey experiences. Adjacent comparable as an equine-based visitor experience with strong education and welfare positioning, complementing Charnwood's donkey encounter offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/privacy
• Facebookfacebook.com/privacyshield
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charnwood-forest-alpacas
• Pinterestpolicy.pinterest.com/en-gb/privacy-policy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Charnwood Forest Alpacas