Image: Trevor Nichols
For Julene Koslowski, it all started with a tractor.
Years ago she and her husband lived on a stretch farmland in Alberta. They weren’t farmers, but needed some equipment to work on the land.
So the pair went to see a guy about a tractor.
They didn’t end up buying it, but Koslowski points to that visit as the catalyst that eventually lead to the creation of the Camelot Haven alpaca farm.
Today, the farm sits in the quiet, sloping hills just outside the town of Vernon. More than 60 alpacas roam the grounds, joined by a few ponies, a couple of donkeys and two enthusiastic dogs.
Atop a plateau in the middle of the hills, beside the barns the alpacas sleep in at night, Koslowski sells yarn, knitted clothes and blankets—all made from her alpacas’ hair—out of a small shop.
Koslowski is a quiet woman whose accent reveals her British roots. On a tour of the farm not long ago, she explained that when she went to see the tractor that fateful day, she was instead captivated by the man’s llamas.
So she started researching the animals—even purchased a few—and that research eventually lead her to learn more about alpacas.
It would be those smaller cousins to the llama that would eventually capture her heart.
She started off just buying a few of the animals, with the intention to create a small cottage industry for herself.
In the 15 years since she first established the farm, she has moved her operation to Vernon, and her herd of alpacas has swelled to more than 60. She knows each and every one of them by name.
“If you knew these animals like I knew them you’d just fall in love with them,” she said, gazing out at the grazing camelids.
In the United Kingdom, where she grew up, Koslowski worked with post-secondary institutions organizing graduation ceremonies.
When she moved to Canada she did similar work at a few schools here, before becoming a stay-at-home mother and teacher to her homeschooled kids.
She says it was that time at home that allowed her to see that she shouldn’t be working in offices, but out in nature.
“I’ve always liked plants and animals, believe it or not, so I wonder why on Earth I was stuck in an office all those years,” she said. “But you finally wake up and realize what a waste of time it was.”
These days, Koslowski spends her days shuttling her herd from the barns to the fields, clipping toenails, mucking out stalls, and knitting.
Image: Trevor Nichols
Julene Koslowski
Alpaca hair is known its softness, thermal insulation properties and lack of lanolin, meaning many who can’t wear sheep’s wool can wear alpaca hair.
Koslowski alpacas are groomed once a year, each producing anywhere from three to six kilograms of fibre.
She sorts, “skirts” and ships that fibre to mills across the country, where it’s turned into alpaca yarn.
Koslowski sells the yarn; knits or felts some of it into hats, scarves and other products; and sells other alpaca hair products in the Camelot Haven Alpaca Country Store.
She’s also begun offering wedding photos on and private walking tours of the farm grounds, where customers can take in the scenic beauty of the farm, and meet some curious alpacas along the way.
It’s a life spent largely outdoors, surrounded by animals and rolling hills. It’s a far cry from offices on college campuses, and Koslowski wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I much prefer being close to nature. It’s a different world,” she said.
More information on Camelot Haven Alpacas is available online.
All Biz Profiles Stories
