Meet Stephanie Cordova | Owner of Harmony Ranch Alpacas & Nursing Professor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Cordova and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Seeking a better work life balance is a huge part of why we opened our alpaca ranch, so this question is so applicable! I have held many jobs in the nursing world over the years, and each time I have changed areas of practice within nursing, it was due to seeking better work life balance. This year we started Harmony Ranch Alpacas as well as I changed realms of nursing to teach in a nursing program.

Over the years, the balance has had to do with what is best for our 2 children, Penelope (age 8) and Lucas (age 4).
My husband, Luis, and I always try to have positions where one of us is available for the kids. During the last year, I one day decided that sitting at my desk for the rest of my life was not going to work for me and my family. That sparked me seriously researching my long time dream of having an alpaca ranch.

We thought it was a dream that one day, a very long time away, we would start the ranch. The dream blasted to our forefront after loosing my husband’s mother last year. We realized that life is just too short and there is no day like today! We also decided that starting our alpaca ranch this year is ideal as we wanted our kids to enjoy growing up on the ranch.

We did our research and decided to jump in! Our ranch was established in January of this year (2022), and we have not looked back! The work life balance is such opposite of where we came from. Our kids are loving life on the ranch, and we are enjoying all the family time outdoors with the alpacas. I still work in nursing but on the nursing professor side, and the work life balance that position allows coincides so well with alpaca ranching. Yes, we are busier than ever with projects at the ranch and starting and running the business, but we love it! Pouring our love into the ranch and animals is a labor of love, but it is so rewarding when we see the smiles on visitor’s faces when they meet our alpacas.

We love spreading joy and educating the community on the renewable resource of alpaca fiber, and the way they are gentle on the land as well. Alpacas provide a calming effect on us, so even though they require time from us each day, it is relaxing, and we love it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Harmony Ranch Alpacas was established in January of 2022 in Alvord, Texas. We have been turning our dream into a reality from day one. We got here faster than expected as “there is no day like today” and “tomorrow is not promised to us.” We are actively growing our herd of alpacas with many babies expected in the next year. We are here to educate, inspire, and show the community the importance of alpacas on sustainable fiber and farming.

Alpacas are amazing fiber animals, so seeing product made from their fiber after they have their yearly shearing is amazing. Our farm store is filled with items made from alpaca fiber. Some of these items include alpaca scarves, shawls, dryer balls, hats, bed blankets, throw blankets, stuffed animals, socks, and so much more!

We love to share our ranch with visitors in person as well as bring alpacas to events. We attend artisan markets with alpacas and even take alpacas to backyard parties, corporate events, and weddings. We have an on farm store, offer many alpaca related educational events on farm, as well as can host parties and events of all sorts. These include time meeting and learning about alpacas along with the party or event.

Our ranch has a huge agritourism footprint. We offer many alpaca related activities, which all include time meeting alpacas and learning all about them. These include things like farm tours, “Yoga with Alpacas,” “Painting with Pacas,” “Cookie Class at the Ranch,” “Alpaca Rancher for the Day” summer day camp, and “Picnic with Pacas” to name a few. We love that our ranch brings people that have never seen or heard of an alpaca, and they leave with a big smile and full of education about these wonderful fiber animals.

We love that people come from nearby but also as far Dallas to attend events at our farm. Some events have brought tears of happiness to participants and hugs of gratitude toward us as they felt the alpacas were therapeutic for them. That makes our day! Spreading joy and happiness has been the biggest reward of all.

We work very hard every single day to continue to reach our goals. Some of the work is easy and some is not so easy, but it is very rewarding to see the fruits of your labor. What helps me the most is to stay organized is with calendars that both my husband and I can see what we have going on, both personally and business related.

We are excited to see what the future holds as our herd size grows with new babies coming in late September and early January. We also are excited to continue to expand our agritourism offerings. We would love for anyone reading this to please reach out and come see us in one way or another. You will not be disappointed with meeting our amazing alpacas might it be via a farm tour or “Yoga with Alpacas.” You will gain so much from learning about these amazing fiber animals.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We love living north of Fort Worth as there are so many things to do. Exploring downtown Bridgeport, Bowie, and Decatur are fun and nearby our ranch. We also recommend checking out some of the local vineyards near Decatur/Alvord area. Bridgeport even has a whiskey distillery.

We enjoy exploring the Grasslands and Eagle Mountain Lake for hiking. We love exploring the Fort Worth Stockyards and Fort Worth’s Sundance Square. Farther away we love Roanoke, Grapevine, and Denton.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband and I have many to “shoutout” to in regards to support over the years. Our close friends and family members, we appreciate you all for your love and support. Changing career paths from nurse to alpaca rancher may have brought up questions of “really?”, but after we explained our plan and goals, the support has been so encouraging from all.

We have spoken with alpaca experts on a national level and local level in the last year via phone, messaging, or in person, and the knowledge sharing in the alpaca community has been a breathe of fresh air. We cannot say enough thanks to the farms that allowed us to visit and pick their brains on alpaca ranching. The continued support is appreciated beyond measure by us as there is always something to learn with alpaca ranching.

My husband, Luis, is from Ecuador, and our visits back to his beautiful country over the years has inspired us greatly with our ranch. The kindness from those we would encounter on our visits there always reminds us to continue that kindness and excellent customer service to all.

Website: www.harmonyranchalpacas.com

Instagram: instagram.com/harmonyranchalpacas

Facebook: facebook.com/HarmonyRanchAlpacas

Image Credits
Hayli Wells Photography