Photo: Coventry Falls Alpaca Farm and Peaceful Path. Courtesy photo.
VermontBiz by Amanda Kuhnert When Mary Cobb and her husband, Jim, bought their first alpacas in 2005, they had no intention of starting a business. Two decades later, their hobby farm has grown into Coventry Falls Alpaca Farm and Peaceful Path VT Float Therapy, a year-round wellness destination in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.
The idea for the businesses was conceived a few years after the couple built a new home on a piece of land in Coventry.
“The land here is just so beautiful,“ Mary said. “It needed some animals. And I knew I couldn’t raise anything that you eat. Alpacas are so intelligent and therapeutic, and they communicate with each other so well. They’re like big cats.“
The Cobbs began with five alpacas — three of them pregnant. “We really were kind of going into this blind,“ she said.
Photo: Mary and Jim Cobb, co-owners of Coventry Falls Alpaca Farm and Peaceful Path. Courtesy photo.
One surprise along the way was discovering that alpaca fiber could actually help pay for the animals’ care.
“We visited several alpaca farms early on, and no one told us about the fiber,“ Mary laughed. “I think they assumed we knew. One day an alpaca farmer stopped by our farm and said, ’You know you have to shear them in the spring.’ We learned a lot in those years.“
As they discovered the value of the fleece — spun into yarn and roving — the couple started selling to local mills and spinneries. A small farm store followed, first in the barn and now housed in its own building across the driveway, where visitors can find raw fiber, yarn and a variety of other alpaca products.
The property’s second business — Peaceful Path VT Float Therapy — grew from Mary’s own healing journey. After breaking her fibula, she tried flotation pool therapy and was amazed at its effect. Today, the center offers this service with two deprivation salt tanks, Himalayan salt domes, Reiki hand and foot treatments, massage, and vibro-acoustic sound therapy.
Photo: Coventry Falls Alpaca Farm and Peaceful Path. Courtesy photo.
What began as a personal sanctuary has become a community space where visitors can connect with animals and find peace in nature. The farm now cares for about 70 alpacas, many of them seniors. Guests are welcome to walk the labyrinth, picnic by the pond or simply sit with the animals.
“They’ve taught me patience,“ Mary said. “If people just watched them, they could learn so much.“
Mary is now working with Rick Daniell, an adviser with the Vermont Small Business Development Center, on the center’s next phase of growth. The property is already a popular destination for school groups and rehabilitation service organizations, and she hopes to expand event and workshop offerings while building partnerships with local businesses.
For more information, visit the company’s website (peacefulpathvt.com) or Facebook page (facebook.com/CoventryFalls).
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