GET TO KNOW US
TEAM ALPACA
OUR STORY
Three years ago, they didn’t even know each other. They were floating around in their various orbits, doing all their life stuffs and whatnots, completely oblivious to the serendipity that would ultimately bring them all together. And then 2020 happened. Like everyone else during that wacky year-that-shall-not-be-named, as they searched for ways to make the most of challenging situations, much energy was spent on surrounding themselves with things that made them feel good, and pivoting at least parts of their lives to revolve around that. For this particular group of three…it turned out to be alpacas. Hailing from three wildly different backgrounds, the new team behind Alpaca by Design has come together and made it a goal to spread and share the genuine joy that these magical creatures brought to each of them.
Amanda VANDENBOSCH
It all starts with Amanda VandenBosch. While many of you may already know her as the owner of the Tumalo Coffeehouse, you may not realize that she is alpaca royalty! Amanda has been a Senior AOA Halter and Fleece Judge and an Alpaca Judge Trainer and Instructor in the United States for over 20 years and has one of the world’s most sought-after breeding programs on her farm Flying Dutchman Alpacas. Amanda literally helped write the book on alpaca judging and is the brainchild behind Innovative Fleece Assessment, the new judging program designed to help breeders of all grades of alpaca usher in a new era focused on a sustainable alpaca industry. Amanda also served on the board of Quechua Benefit, a nonprofit organization dedicated to social justice for the Quechua people living in highland Peru.
WASIM MUKLASHY
In late 2019, professional travel and landscape photographer, videographer and virtual reality producer Wasim Muklashy was asked by Quechua Benefit to join them on their annual tour of Peru’s Altiplano. He was tasked with documenting the humanitarian projects that Quechua Benefit was involved in with indigenous populations in the Andes, as well as to capture various alpaca farms in their habitats of origin. Perhaps most crucially, Wasim was tasked with capturing the magic of a chaccu, an ancient Incan Sun God ritual involving the vicuńa, the rare distant cousin of the alpaca that produces amongst the finest fiber in the world. It was here that he met Amanda, who was one of the tour guides on that trip. They struck a friendship that ultimately led to his living on her farm during 2020-2021 and immersing himself in all things alpaca.
Dahli BRANT
At the start of 2020, Dahli Brant was completely engulfed in her professional interior design career as founder of Capitol Designs West. Her impeccable eye for style, paired with her innate intuition to help clients of all walks of life realize their visions, has guided a career that has spanned nearly 3 decades and has seen her design hundreds of unique high end properties all over the globe. As the pandemic hit, she found herself spending more time at her home in Central Oregon and falling in love with a more relaxed pace of life. One fateful morning, she walked into the Tumalo Coffeehouse and happened upon Amanda and they immediately hit it off. What happens when you put Amanda’s expertise in the alpaca industry in the same room with Dahli’s love for textiles and luxurious natural fibers? Let’s put it this way – little more than one year later, she now finds herself as the owner of several alpacas and the third partner in Alpaca by Design!