Farm & Family

While growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Grace heard California’s call. Upon graduation, she packed her bags for San Francisco and landed her first wine gig, working in the finance department for a winery in Santa Rosa. She was quickly promoted into sales and marketing, and that’s where she found her passion. Dragging wine bags up and down San Francisco’s hilly streets was no easy task, but as she learned her trade and came to know her clients, she fell in love with the wine business.

Clamoring for more knowledge, she took a position with a South American wine company, which gave Grace her first taste of travel, a passion that has led her around the world. Thirsty for bigger case drops, she set her eyes on landing large chain account deals, and she was quickly promoted to National Account Manager. Her success led her to a new job for the third-largest French wine company in France as Director of Sales. This new environment helped hone her skills in international business. In 2019, Grace joined Hedges Family Estate as the VP of Global Sales.

Reigning from Southern California, Ariana has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Advertising from Chapman University. In addition she holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Pepperdine University. Prior to obtaining the Western Regional Sales Manager role at Hedges Family Estate, she has worked in the industry for over 9 years in variety of positions. She has worked in many roles from distribution to a regional management position with an importer. Since a child she has been around the wine and restaurant industry and this has influenced her career and passion for the industry.

Kathy was born and raised in Seattle and attended the University of Washington where she received her bachelor's degree in International Studies. Kathy began her management career in Seattle at Allstate Insurance Company working for sixteen years in both Seattle and Ohio. Kathy earned her Master of Business Administration at Kent State University. When presented with the opportunity to move to Europe in 2000, Kathy jumped off the corporate ladder and immersed herself in the culture, living in Belgium and in a small village in the Southwest of France and working in local vineyards, traveling extensively, and becoming a fluent French speaker. Kathy pursued her love of wine and obtained the prestigious D.U.A.D. from the University of Bordeaux, and the Certified Specialist of Wine CSW solidifying her passion for the world of viticulture and wine production. After 16 years in Europe, Kathy returned to the United States to be closer to her family, and especially her two grandsons. She is thrilled to be back in Washington - now a Husky in Cougar territory - and eager to forge her Washington roots with her European experience to serve the Hedges Family Estate.

Karla was born, and grew up on the beautiful West side of Washington State. She immersed herself in many sports, including basketball, golf, volleyball, and softball. While Karla was working as a secretary after school, her sister was working at the restaurant next door. Karla went to visit her sister on her lunch break and saw the hustle and bustle of the restaurant world and was hooked! She started slinging cocktails at Seattle's finest restaurants and eventually moved up to become a full-time bartender. She moved up through the ranks of bartender, then wine buyer and finally manager. She also worked for Noble Wines, LTD. and covered multiple sales routes and did merchandising. This is where she became familiar with Hedges wines. She eventually moved from Seattle to Brooklyn where she bartended and created the cocktails at many prestigious Manhattan restaurants, including Prune.

She made the decision to move back to Washington state, this time on the East side of the state, to be closer to family. After reaching out to an old friend who she worked with at Noble Wines, Karla found her way to Hedges Family Estate where she now manages hospitality at the Chateau and social media.

Born and raised in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago to third generation vegetable farmers, Wayne, at a young age, was introduced to the importance of food and knowing where it comes from. The constant exposure to fresh and varied produce sparked a love affair with cooking and all things food and beverage! After graduating from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater with a degree in Finance, where he was also working as a chef at a local Farm-To-Table restaurant, Wayne set out to explore the culinary world farther. He dove head first into the world of specialty coffee, working as a barista before eventually managing the cafe. His immersion into specialty coffee would become the stepping stone to him truly developing a palate and appreciation for the nuance of craft beverages. Wanting to diversify his knowledge further, Wayne then accepted the managerial position at a small craft brewery near his hometown where he would continue to develop an understanding of taste and became absorbed by the world of fermentation. He began brewing his own kombucha, seeking out sourdough bakeries, and studying (and drinking) wine! The history, art, culture, language, and wonder of wine captivated him and he knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to make wine his full-time vocation. As luck would have it, Wayne received his first break in the world of wine while visiting family in Missoula, MT, when his incredibly supportive Uncle connected him with a local wine educator. After a 45 minute meeting at a local coffee shop and a few emails later Wayne was introduced to Sarah Goedhart, the Winemaker at Hedges Family Estate. Even though having no formal experience in winemaking, Sarah was empathetic to Wayne and offered him a 6 month Enology Internship. Having never heard of Red Mountain and being completely ignorant to the incredible people and company he was about to become apart of, Wayne packed up his silver Cobalt with as many flannels as could fit and headed West. And after completing his very first harvest he struck gold again when he was offered to stay on as Sarah’s assistant and the opportunity to study for his Viticulture Certificate through Washington State University.

In his spare time Wayne enjoys reading a slew of different books, cooking, listening to records, all things nature related, exploring craft breweries & coffee shops, working out, and talking about Rom-Coms with his little brother and sister (two of his 4 siblings).

Only after being in the Seattle area for 2 days, Molly walked into the Hedges tasting room on March 4, 1995 looking to taste the wines that she had heard so much about from her husband. Two days later on March 6th she was hired as the controller and has been with Hedges Family Estate ever since

Originally from south Florida, Molly slowly moved across the country, taking up residence in Missouri, Wyoming and California. Molly moved to Seattle from the Bay area after six years as a Royalty and Severance Tax accountant at Chevron USA. She graduated with a BS in Accounting from CA State University, Sacramento in 1989 and passed the CPA exam in 1990. Molly enjoys running, hiking, biking, traveling, and wine tasting.

With a background in agriculture and a degree from Washington State University in Landscape Architecture Adam applies his varied knowledge to shipping online orders, loading trucks, fixing broken water mains, repairing tractors, and tackling whatever problems Red Mountain can throw at him. When he is not working on the Estate he can be found exploring the trails of eastern Washington in a pair of very dusty running shoes.

Ryan and Heather Brown are from the Mt. Hood area of Oregon and both graduated from the Western Culinary Institute. They’ve been married for nearly three decades and have managed restaurants and lodges throughout western America. They are both outdoor enthusiasts, sharing such passions as skiing, hiking, and biking. They now focus their energy on enhancing the experience at the estate on Red Mountain.