Our Story

Derek Beech

Sumaq Rugs was started by two close friends Collis Verdicchio and Derek Beech, who after years of travelling throughout South America finally found their excuse to combine business, travel, and giving back together into one.

In early 2006, Derek was in Lima, Peru when he first saw and touched a hand-made Alpaca & Llama rug made by the Peruvian artisans. When returning to North America he searched throughout the marketplace trying to find a rug closely comparable but came out empty handed. This is when he realized the North American market needed to see and feel what he felt.

The hunt for one rug is what created Sumaq Rugs today. However, Derek did not do it on his own, there has been a team that has brought Sumaq Rugs to North America. One of the keys to success for Sumaq Rugs has been working with three Designers whom incorporated traditional weaving techniques with contemporary designs.

Collis Verdicchio

Sumaq Rugs was finally born when Collis Verdicchio joined the team in early 2009. Collis brought a Commerce background in Management to the team. With years of selling for large multi-national organizations, it was his time to help manage and grow a company of his own. With a mission to not ignore the social, environmental, and financial cost of producing in developing countries, like so many large multi-national companies choose not to do in the 21th Century.

With 3 very different and cohesive individuals Sumaq Rugs became a company in 2010, with a goal of bringing the world’s finest Alpaca rugs to everyone’s reach. However, it is how Sumaq rugs is attaining this goal that sets it apart from most rug producers worldwide. See ‘Giving Back’