Inside AlpaCantina: A Full-Day Alpaca Shearing Workshop in Bocholt

Bocholt, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium: a working patch of Flemish pasture where AlpaCantina opens its barn doors to anyone curious about the craft and care behind alpaca shearing. This full-day workshop combines classroom basics, hands-on demonstrations and a warm community meal, all framed by the low, open fields and hedgerows typical of northeastern Belgium.

The day begins in the AlpaCantina with coffee and cake, setting a relaxed tone before a technical presentation by seasoned shearers John Peeters and Sam Geysens. John’s biography is concrete: he left for Australia in 1999 to train as an alpaca breeder and shearer; Sam trained under John and now holds roughly 15 years of practical experience. Both are trained agricultural engineers who specialize in alpacas—so you’re hearing the hows and whys from professionals who have shaped shearing programs across farms and climates.

Key features of the experience include the shearing demonstration area, the handling table, and the fleece-staging zone where fiber is assessed for quality and use. Alpacas themselves are the star: watch fleece removal that preserves animal welfare and maximizes usable fiber. The setting—grassy meadows, low stone walls and tidy farm outbuildings—feels rural rather than rustic, with clean pens and a clear workflow that illustrates real-world farm operations.

Practical learning rounds out the morning: why shearing timing matters, how fiber weight and guard hair affect yarn quality, and owner responsibilities before, during and after shearing. Midday brings a communal broodbuffet—an opportunity to trade notes with other attendees and ask targeted questions about equipment, calendar planning, and humane handling. In the afternoon Sam performs live shearing with John narrating technique, safety checks and common troubleshooting.

This workshop is distinct for its combination of veterinary-minded care, long-term hands-on experience and a small-farm scale that makes technique visible from every angle. For future alpaca owners it’s a near-essential primer; for fiber artists and hobby farmers it’s a rare chance to touch and learn about fleece at each stage.

Whether you come to evaluate the feasibility of owning alpacas, to sharpen practical husbandry skills, or simply to witness skilled shearers at work, this day at AlpaCantina is a compact education in animal care, fiber science and farm rhythm. The result is a clearer sense of what a shearing day requires—and the confidence to plan one that’s efficient, humane and productive on your own land.