Meet Collins & Nikki Griffith of Sandollar Alpacas!
Our passion is raising the extreely rare suri 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. Today our herd numbers about 14-16 alpacas on the ranch. In 2007 we moved from Arizona to the Pacific Northwest, settling in to the Heart of Washington Wine Country, in the Tri-Cities area of Southeast Washington.
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 store, The Leather Alpaca, located in Historic Downtown Kennewick.
Nikki is also 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.
Nikki grew up in the Midwest, earned her undergraduate degree in Business and Communication at St. Louis University and has worked as a real estate appraiser, broker, banker and educator for over 35 years. Today, in addition to her duties as the Business Manager for Sandollar Farms & Alpacas, she operates the Fiber Arts Studio as well as 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 Farms & Alpacas visitors and customers. Additionally, Nikki has qualified for the prestigious Handler Seal from Camelidynamics and today is a Senior Consultant teaching the basics to others.
Collins, Farm Manager for Sandollar Farms & Alpacas as well as Store Manager for The Leather Alpaca, 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 State for 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 and makes fabulous things out of alpaca fiber. Additionally, 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 Farms and Alpacas
2001 S Washington St, Kennewick, WA
The Leather Alpaca Store
9 W Kennewick Ave, Kennewick, WA
509-378-5833 - Collins' Cell
509-378-6909 - Nikki's Cell