HAFNER VINEYARD - Key Persons
Antonio Ordaz-Flores, with more than 30 years of experience in Sonoma County grape growing, is an expert with pruning shears and a skilled tractor driver. Married to one of Assitant Winemaker Ricardo's sisters, he is also from Palo Alto, Mexico. He and his family live here on the property, which is very helpful when the grapes require nighttime work. His son-in-law now works with us too. Learn more about Antonio in his "Meet the Team" blog.
Partner Betsy Hafner lives in Washington, D.C. and is the youngest of Mary and Dick's four children. An international trade attorney by training, she recently retired from her role as the Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Russia and Eurasia in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. With more free time, she now gets to enjoy riding her horse in Virginia, traveling, and relaxing with friends.
Dick Hafner has always been the North Star for all of us at Hafner Vineyard, and that remains true today despite his death in November 2022 just shy of his 97th birthday.
We invite you to read about the history of Hafner Vineyard which began in 1967 when Mary and Dick Hafner, purchased a prune ranch here in Alexander Valley. Dick managed to oversee the operation while serving as Public Information Officer at UC Berkeley and he maintained an active participation in all aspects of our enterprise, at every point in its fifty-five year history.
For a full picture of Dick, you may enjoy reading his obituary which shares many fascinating details of his long and meaningful life.
Dick's ability to listen closely to others, to ask the critical question that no one else thought of, and to keep focused on what was singularly important were a few of his many positive attributes. His calm presence and uncanny wisdom were important factors contributing to our success in the unpredictable agricultural economy and highly competitive wine market for half a century. His genuine interest in Hafner Vineyard patrons formed meaningful bonds that have stood the test of time.
The entire Hafner Vineyard Team continues to feel and be guided by Dick's presence.
Eduardo Garcia works at Hafner Vineyard for four months during the growing season, during the other eight months he lives in Mexico. We are grateful when he arrives each Spring as this is one of the busiest times in the vineyard. He is an artist with the weed-whacker, maneuvering around small trees and wildflowers, especially the California poppies. Eduardo always greets people with a smile and charismatic laugh.
Eduardo Naranjo is our newest vineyard team member bringing a few years of experience. A longtime friend of Fernando's, the two are often heard laughing and joking while busily working amongst the vines. He is eager to learn from the team, many of whom have been here for decades. He as well as Fernando and other represent the next generation of HV vineyard crew members.
Efren Caranza's vineyard experience in Sonoma County spans more than three decades. Always with a smile, Efren enjoys tending to the vines with Harvest being his favorite time of year. He says it gives him great pride to see a year's hard work come to fruition. When he's not working, he's either tending to his garden or working on vintage cars. To learn more about Efren, read his "Meet the Team" here.
Fernando Onofre joined the Hafner team in 2022 and comes with significant family knowledge of the vineyard. His father-in-law and uncle-in-law both work at HV as did his grandfather-in-law (Agustin). In fact, Fernando uses Agustin's old bicycle to get around the vineyard. One of Fernando's new jobs is painting the harvest gondolas, an annual job passed down from José Luis after decades.
Gerardo Lopez is an expert tractor driver and often drives our mechanical harvester. He always has an easy smile at the ready, laughing and joking with all. Gerardo knows the vineyard well having been at Hafner Vineyard for over 40 years. When he's not in the vineyard, you might find him on the soccer field. .To learn more about him, read his "Meet the Team" blog.
Grace Hafner, youngest of the four Hafner grandchildren, is Alexander Valley born. A 2013 graduate of Tufts University, she worked in San Francisco at Dropbox and Restoration Hardware. Now she is living in Bordeaux where she earned a Master of Business and Science in vineyard and winery management from Bordeaux Sciences Agro. She is currently working as the winemaker for Domaine de la Solitude in Martillac. Following the tradition of her grandmother and father, Grace is a budding chef who makes others happy with her cooking.
Javier "Javi" Castellanos is one of the youngest members of the vineyard crew. Born in Michoacán, Mexico, he came to the US at the age of 21. Harvest is the most exciting time for him because it brings all the vineyard jobs full circle. In his spare time, he enjoys visiting with friends. Learn more about Javier on his "Meet the Team" blog.
José Benito Mendiola's favorite job in the vineyard is pruning. This work in January to April is quiet and focused with a meditative quality. Benito's alert eyes are also a great help during harvest as the tractors, gondolas and mechanical harvester all work in close quarters to rush the grapes to the winery. He was also one of the loyal "dads" to the vineyard dog, Satanas, for many years. When not working, Benito is happy with a fishing pole in his hands, doing "catch and release" in Lake Sonoma. To learn more about Benito, read his "Meet the Team" blog.
José Luis Lopez is equally expert with pruning shears and with tractors when cultivating the vineyard. Another longtime member of the Hafner Vineyard team, he is always quick with a wave and smile. He is an avid fisherman, a dedicated vegetable gardener and fruit tree grower. To learn more about Jose Luis, read his "Meet the Team" blog.
Partner Julianne Hafner Farrell, Mary and Dick's first-born, participated in many family work weekends in the early days of the vineyard and now enjoys the fruits of her family's dedicated efforts. After careers as a research biochemist and stay-at-home mom, she is now a marriage and family therapist, living in coastal Maine. Her husband, Jack, and she have two grown sons, Jake and Jamie, and three grandchildren.
Kate Bernal-Hafner is Parke and Sarah's oldest daughter (and one of Dick and Mary's four grandchildren). A 2009 Boston College graduate, she is part of the Hafner Vineyard sales team bringing a younger perspective. She designed our Next Gen program to reach out to younger patrons. After two years as a manager with Ralph Lauren and grape harvests in France and Argentina, she came home to Alexander Valley. She received an MBA in wine from Sonoma State University. She served as a trustee at her high school, Sonoma Academy. To learn more about her, read her "Meet the Team" blog.
Laura grew up in Healdsburg learning the ways of vineyard work from her dad. She and her family split their time between Healdsburg and Mexico. She joins the HV team with great experience in customer service through her time in local banking. She manages our state compliance and often on the phones helping patrons. Very involved in the community, she is also a mom of three. To learn more about Laura, you can read her "Meet the Team" here.
Laurie is a major reason our service is so personal and so dependable…and has been for over 35 years. A Midwest native transplanted to Alexander Valley by way of Colorado and Berkeley, her good humor and unfailing follow-through on every order make gifts a certainty and timely delivery a sure thing. Laurie is a nutritionist with interests in different healing modalities. She recently retired but will happily help us during the busy season of the Holidays. To learn more about Laurie, read her "Meet the Team" blog.
Martín Aleman, a long time HV team member, can be found most often among the vines and occasionally works with Matt in helping to send Hafner Vineyard wine to our patrons on the heaviest shipping days of the year. Martín has become a vegetable gardener with the guidance of fellow vineyard team members. He is also a father of four. To learn more about Martín, read his "Meet the Blog" team.
Patrons may have met Martín Bernal-Hafner, Kate's husband and also a Boston College grad, at our barrel tastings. For his daytime job, he is the Winemaker of Alta Orsa Wines in Hopland. Prior to Alta Orsa, he gained winery experience as the Enologist for Paul Hobbs Wines and internships with Kate in France and Argentina. A native of Bogotá, Colombia and grew up in Boston, he's now a transplant to Alexander Valley. He currently serves on the boards of the Geyserville Community Foundation and the Mendocino Winegrowers.
Mary Hafner's impact on our small family winery is broad and deep, spanning fifty years from the day she and Dick purchased "the ranch" until her death in March 2017.
She drove the tractor as she and Parke "staked" the new vineyard, organized mailings in the early years, was Scott's navigator when we delivered to patrons in the Bay Area, kept the books, and asked strategic and thoughtful questions that helped focus our business. Her social and culinary skills were evident at events for Hafner Vineyard patrons. She jogged in the vineyard almost every morning before the fog lifted when only the vineyard crew and jack rabbits were out.
Once when Mary had to complete an official form, she listed her permanent occupation as "community volunteer". She was dedicated to helping others, protecting Sonoma County's beautiful landscape and serving the communities she felt fortunate to be a part of.
Mary's most lasting legacy at Hafner Vineyard will be the spirit of graciousness which she embodied, which all of us seek to emulate and carry forward.
To learn more about Mary, read her "Meet the Team" blog that she wrote in February 2017.
Matt Archer came to us first as part of the HV catering team helping at winery gatherings thanks to his extensive restaurant experience in Sonoma County. Now he is part of our full-time team responsible for shipping Hafner wine to patrons across the country as well as delivering case orders to patrons in the Bay Area. Always smiling and quick on his feet, Matt brings a fun liveliness to the team.
After graduating from the world-famous enology department at the University of California in Davis, winemaker Parke Hafner worked at wineries in the Napa Valley and Burgundy region of France. Then he directed the building of our winery and since 1982 has made all vintages of Hafner Vineyard wines. In addition Parke oversees grape growing in our 96-acre vineyard, uses weekends for cycling, is a gourmet cook, skilled furniture maker and a leader in supporting community activities, particularly in his active role with the Boys and Girls Club. Learn more about Parke in his "Meet the Team" blog.
A longtime Healdsburg resident, Quinn is part of our sales/marketing team. A lively voice on the phone, she's eager to help patrons with their orders. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and watching baseball. Prior to HV, she lived in Spain for five years where she taught English to kids. To learn more about Quinn, you can read her "Meet the Team" here.
Ricardo Juarez is the assistant winemaker helping Parke in the magic of changing grapes into wine. When 11 years old, he came from Mexico to be with his father Agustin who was already a longtime vineyardist at Hafner Vineyard. Ricardo's viticulture and winemaking courses add depth to his hands-on experience in the cellar. Always of good humor, he is willing and able to take on any winery task and do it well. A father of three, Ricardo enjoys cooking as a hobby. To learn more about him, read his "Meet the Team" blog.
An Alexander Valley native with a lively can-do spirit, Sandy Wilson is ready and able to handle phone and e-mail orders, packaging and computer monitoring of wine shipments, and many other challenges. She is a living example of the disappearing art of fine penmanship which she uses when writing patrons' gift card messages. And her camera skills result in the photographs you see throughout our website! To learn more about Sandy, read her "Meet the Team" blog.
Artist/designer Sarah Hafner teams with Scott to create Hafner Vineyard's colorful and artistic publications for our patrons. Watercolors are a particular talent of hers, much to our patrons' delight. Also an integral part of the winemaking team, Sarah has worked on every harvest since our first in 1982. She was the longtime president of the Alexander Valley School Board and a trustee of Sonoma Academy. She currently serves on the boards of UC Davis Dean's Advisory Council, GAV MAC, Healdsburg Forever and the Advisory Board of Providence Hospice while being a dedicated gardener and an accomplished equestrian. Her family includes husband Parke and daughters Kate and Grace. To learn more about her, read her "Meet the Team" blog.
Scott Hafner leads a talented team that ensures the financial strength and marketing success of Hafner Vineyard. He brought Hafner wine to the market beginning in 1984 and created a patron-focused direct to consumer sales model built on his experience at The Sharper Image, Louis M. Martini Winery and in fine food retailing. The best part of his job? The rich relationships Hafner Vineyard has with its patrons, sometimes spanning several decades, and several generations of patron families. A leader in community service, Scott currently chairs the board of directors of Sonoma Land Trust and has served on the boards of Connecticut College, Pacific School of Religion, Horizons Foundation among others. He and his husband, Bill Glenn, live in rural Santa Rosa.