Meet Collins & Nikki Griffith of Sandollar Alpacas!
Our passion is raising alpacas and working with their fabulous fiber! It is evident on our farm and in our lifestyle. In 2002, at a Fall Festival in Southern Arizona, we first experienced alpacas at a local breeder’s booth. A corral of yearlings was set up next to the breeder's booth of lovely alpaca items for sale. It was love at first sight! We had found the ideal retirement business that we could enjoy together! Over the next 18 months we researched these delightful creatures from South America prized for their long, silky fleece.
We bought three bred females in December, 2003; Collins then built the barn and paddocks; they were delivered in July, 2004. Since then, our alpaca family has grown exponentially, as we carefully added renowned genetics to our foundation herd, yielding more and more of the exquisite fiber made famous by many Peruvian artisans.
In 2007 we moved from Arizona to the Pacific Northwest, settling in to the Tri-Cities area of Southeast Washington. And as crias frolic in the fields, we also spend time pursuing a wide range of other interests, including our needle felting, weaving, knitting, spinning, and leather crafting of unusual custom alpaca items and saddles that are sold in our on site store, the Felted Alpaca Country Store. Nikki is enjoying her business life as a commercial real estate appraiser/broker and principal of her own firm. One of her particular joys is helping new alpaca owners find that perfect piece of property to develop as a farm.
Our 2,800 sq. ft. Sandollar Annex includes space devoted to our educational pursuits where we hold seminars, bazaars, craft events, as well as our country mercantile, The Felted Alpaca Farm Store, which contains a variety of alpaca products made from our own alpaca fleeces as well as Collins’ leather and fiber arts studio, filled with his custom rugs, weavings, leather saddles and leather accessories for sale.
Nikki grew up in the Midwest, earned her undergraduate degree in Business and Communication at St. Louis University and worked as a real estate appraiser, broker and educator for over 30 years. Today, in addition to her duties as the Business Manager of Sandollar Alpacas, she operates her own real estate appraisal, brokerage, consulting and development business. An experienced trainer throughout her career, Nikki loves providing educational seminars on alpaca ownership for Sandollar Alpacas visitors and customers. Additionally, Nikki has qualified for the prestigious Handler Seal from Camelidynamics.
Collins, Farm Manager for Sandollar Alpacas, grew up in Kansas and earned a degree in Agriculture from the University of Nevada. After serving in the army as an irrigation specialist, he owned and operated a greenhouse, landscaping and nursery business in Washington Statefor 15 years, and then a landscaping business in Phoenix. Recognizing a need for safe terrain, he engineered and trademarked a wood fiber product called Playsafe®, now used throughout the Southwest on playgrounds and recreational sites. Today he manages the farm and for added pleasure, tools his custom leather accessories. But pasture management, farm layout and irrigation are all a piece of cake for Collins, and several breeders in the area have taken advantage of his expertise.
Want to know more? We’d love to show you. Contact us today to schedule your personal farm visit today!
Sandollar Alpacas
509-582-SAND - Office
509-378-5833 - Collins' Cell
509-378-6909 - Nikki's Cell
The Sandollar Country Farm Store
Sandollar Annex
190605 E. 47th Ave. (at Oak Street)
Kennewick, WA 99337