Bodio’s life is authentically Mongolian, and from the steppe to the city, his company is at the forefront of Mongolia’s re-emerging exotic fiber industry. Bodio was born amongst the nomads of the Gobi desert and raised in a traditional Mongolian ger (tent). “We lived in a village at the center of a herding community where my father was the veterinarian,” says Bodio. “On my summer holidays from school, we’d travel the countryside giving vaccinations to the animals.” After studying auto mechanics at college, Bodio, a natural entrepreneur whose mother was an accountant, used the profits from selling cars to become a cashmere trader.  “My specialty was the white cashmere, which is the most precious,” Bodio says. “At the height, I was collecting 40 tons of it every year,” for the Gobi Corporation, Mongolia’s largest exotic fiber company. Two decades ago he achieved his dream of founding his own knitwear company. “Cashmere is a saturated business, so I chose to specialize in yak and also camel, which is my favorite animal. By owning my own de-hairing facility, I was certain I could exceed quality averages and defy conventional market expectations with those fibers.” Bodio guarantees his annual access to super-premium raw material by paying herders above-market rates and contributing to their prosperity in non-financial ways. “This business is about more than money. We’re not a charity, but we look after our relationships exceedingly well. I believe we are setting a new standard for responsible business practices in Mongolia.” Bodio’s finished products are acknowledged by experts as amongst the best in the world, and half of all the raw yak down combed annually by Mongolian herders is purchased by his company. His pioneering approach to yak down is being noticed far beyond his native land.