Ken Hibbits

Biography

Victoria and Ken Hibbits own and operate Alpacas By The Sea, Inc. in Montara, California. They have both worked in the alpaca industry for over 16 years. Alpacas By The Sea has been raising alpacas since 1992. They managed a herd of up to 100 alpacas and have presented educational seminars for their clients that provide an excellent informational foundation for success in the alpaca business. Ken is an AOA Halter Judge. Victoria Hibbits was an ARI Phenotypic screener and they have traveled together in Peru learning advanced husbandry directly from breeders on the Altiplano. They have also studied and shared breeding techniques and alpaca screening criteria with some of the worlds leading experts. They have enjoyed raising alpacas in Northern California and take great pleasure in sharing the rewards of alpacas with others. Alpacas By the Sea is located just 25 minutes south of San Francisco on scenic Highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean.

Jacob Hart

Biography

Native to Central Ohio, Jacob has been involved in the alpaca industry since 2009, when he followed his parents into the industry at the age of 12. He first acquired his own alpacas as a way for his parents to teach him about finances and investments. It was at this time that he founded Rakhel Farms, which later became Rakhel Farms LLC. Jacob attended Delaware Valley University (Doylestown, Pennsylvania) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness in 2018 with the intention to apply his education to the alpaca industry. In 2019, Jacob entered the Alpaca Owners Association Judge Training Program and became a certified halter judge in 2022. He has volunteered at numerous AOA Certified alpaca shows and served on the AOA Show Revitalization Task Force in 2020.

Helen Testa

Biography

Helen established Silvercloud Farm in 2001 and managed a large herd of huacayas. Helen has been very active within the alpaca community. She served as the President of the Pennsylvania Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (PAOBA), managed the PAOBA Breeders Showcase, served on the Mid-Atlantic Alpaca Association Board of Directors, served on several Alpaca Owners Association Sub-Committees, and was founder partner in Silver Penn Sales.   Helen recently joined the Judges Advisory Committee (JAC) and plans to remain active and supportive of the alpaca community.  Helen has been an AOA Certified Judge since 2007 and enjoys traveling throughout the country evaluating alpacas, offering educational seminars, herd evaluations, and sale consultations.   Helen has now retired from Silvercloud Farm and she and her two children Mia and Raymond reside in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.

Frauke Berman

Biography

Frauke resides with her husband and four children in Manhattan and South Salem, New York.  She has a background in hospitality and interior design and showed horses back in Germany.   In design school she discovered alpaca fabrics and their unique qualities. Soon after, she visited several alpaca farms which consequently inspired her to acquire her first alpaca in 2014. Ever since, she passionately embraced learning about every facet of the industry. In 2021, she was certified to be a fleece judge and in December 2022 she completed the AOA halter certification. She feels privileged to have had the opportunity to judge several fleece and halter shows.   Frauke is enthusiastic about helping the alpaca industry continue to reach its vast potential. Beverly Brehm Biography Beverly and her husband Jason, along with their 2 children, Christian and Julia, reside in the beautiful Southern Oregon Rogue Valley.   She has been an airport concessionaire since 2005 and currently owns and operates Sky House Bar & Grill inside the Medford Airport. This business experience has helped develop and create her desire to become an AOA Certified Alpaca Judge and to develop a herd with advanced suri fleece traits.   Beverly and her family started their alpaca adventure in 2009, with 12 suri alpacas. Their herd has since grown to more than 50 suri alpacas, and Beverly’s daughter, Julia, has her own small herd of 3 huacaya alpacas. Their journey began out of necessity, as Beverly’s son, Christian, was limited to excessive activities like sports because of a health condition. So their interest in livestock was a natural choice as both Beverly and her husband Jason were 4H participants as young adults.   Since 2009, Beverly and Jason have built a Nationally recognized quality suri herd, Rogue Suri Alpacas. Beverly enjoys all the wonderful things that the alpaca fiber allows her to create, from spinning to roving, yarn to crochet. She has also volunteered for various show positions such as Show Management, Herdsire auction coordinator, Gatekeeper, Ring Steward, Scribe and Fleece Room volunteer.