From Duke Magazine
March/April 1998
By John Manuel

Fiber Farmer

There’s no telling how our childhood experiences will influence our career choices. Most of us follow our parents or parents’ friends into traditional fields such as business, law, and medicine. Erika Rosenberg ‘76 was drawn to her exotic pets – the mongoose, skunks, donkeys, and talking birds that filled her life growing up on the island of Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Today, Rosenberg is a "fiber farmer" who raises exotic rabbits, sheep, and goats and harvests their fur to fashion into prized garments.
        Rosenberg graduated from Duke with only vague notions of what to do with her life. After a stint as a restaurateur in St. Thomas, she went to nursing school and found work at a hospital in San Diego. There she met and married John Reinke, a cardiologist, moving with him to practices in Louisiana, Oregon, and finally Alabama.
        While in California, Rosenberg fell in love with ultra-soft angora sweaters. She researched where the wool comes from and how it is processed, with the thought of one day making her own garments for sale. When she and John purchased a thirty-two acre farm in St. Florian, Alabama, in 1994, she finally had the space she needed to start her business.
        "I spent the first year fencing and building chicken coops and haylofts," she says. "Then I set about buying the animals."
        Angora, Rosenberg explains, is derived from the Angora breed of rabbit. Angora wool is considered one of the softest and most sensuous natural fibers. When spun on a wheel and twisted on a skein winder, the fibers separate from the main twist of the yarn and form a halo. The fiber has no "memory," however, so Rosenberg prefers blending angora with other wool, especially Alpaca, derived from the llama-like animal of the same name.
        "Alpacas are camelid native to South America," she says. "They are my true passion. They are very tranquil animals, and I absolutely love their fiber."
        At the outset, Rosenberg had the intention of doing every aspect of production. But she found that certain steps, such as shearing and knitting, were best handled by specialists. So she advertised for and found local Alabamians to do the shearing and knitting of yarn into sweaters, blankets, comforters, and hats. She concentrates on raising the animals and spinning processed fiber into yarn.
        How does she find her customers? "It’s all word of mouth," she says. "I don’t do any advertising; I have no outlet. People hear about my products and come to me with orders. I’m already booked up for 1998."
        On top of running her own business, Rosenberg is a full-time mom. She has four children: Christian, Jevon, Courtney, and Hannah. Their mother’s example has inspired them to start their own businesses. Christian, 14, raises rabbits for meat and works at a local feed store. Jevon, 13, mows lawns, pressure-washes decks, and blows leaves for a host of clients. Courtney, 10, gathers eggs from the farm’s hens and sells them at school. Hanna, 8, raises red worms for sale at bait and garden stores.
        "The business has taught my kids how to be financially independent and has given them a lot of self-confidence," Rosenberg says. "And it gives me a tremendous sense of satisfaction. I wake up in the morning to the sound of a rooster. I walk out and gather my own eggs for breakfast. And I see the animals in the pasture that provide me with the clothes I wear."