The Team at
Chelan Valley Farms
“Great things in business are never done by one person; they’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs
Making wine, gathering with people, and preserving the land for future generations by using regenerative farming methods is our goal.
Jeana
Jeana is owner, winemaker, flower gardener, wife to Chad and momma to Carston, Jackson and Owen. As a child she loved being outside working and although her career as a compounding pharmacist was academically fulfilling, she found herself yearning to be in nature more. Her love and curiosity for wine led to a passion for winemaking. After moving to California in 2010, Chad and Jeana started buying grapes and making wine in their garage. From there she started taking classes at UC Davis and enrolled in the Enology certificate program at Washington State University. She helped out with harvest at M2 Winery in the fall of 2014 and was a harvest intern at Bogle Winery in 2017. Since making the move to Chelan during the Summer of 2018, she’s been able pursue her passion to help people connect to and experience nature, integrate wellness and agricultural education into the farm and make wine from their estate vineyard. When she’s not working on the farm, you can find Jeana busy with the kids sporting activities, reading or enjoying the lake.
Chad
Chad is owner, farmer, CEO, CFO and agriculturalist at the farm. While participating in FFA in high school he found a passion for farming and wanted to work in agriculture. He went on to study agricultural economics at Washington State University and took a year break to work for Chateau. St. Michele as a vineyard tech where he fell in love with wine. He went back and got his Masters in crop science at Washington State University and quickly found himself working for Syngenta Crop Protection learning with world leaders in agriculture and sampling amazing wine from around the world. Chad and Jeana had the opportunity to move to North Carolina, Tennessee and California. While in California, Chad managed Pro Tree Nursery where he traveled the world learning about apple varieties and running a nursery business. In summer of 2018, Chad and Jeana took a leap of faith, quit their jobs and moved to raise their 3 young boys in Lake Chelan and build their dream – Chelan Valley Farms. After moving to Chelan, Chad started working for Wilbur Ellis as the Director of Marketing. As the farm has continued to grow and trying to balance having a full-time career while also building the farm and winery and family commitments, Chad has decided to come on full time on the farm as of Sept 1st 2023. His experience, strategic oversight, passion and hard work will help Jeana and the team bring Lagrioth Winery and Chelan Valley Farms to the next level. When not working on the farm – you will find Chad in the kitchen making homemade pizza, pasta or bread, listening to Frank Sinatra, reading and enjoying a glass of wine.
LJ
LJ wears many hats in the Chelan Valley that promote both her creative and technical sides. At the Farm, she brings her service & supply chain experience as a Tasting Room assistant and operations expert. LJ loves interacting with customers, understanding their wine preferences and sharing her own experience. LJ was born in Southern CA but calls herself a true PNW girl. When not in the Tasting Room, you can find LJ contributing her time with the board at Lake Chelan Health or in many of her other local endeavors here in the valley.
Marya
Marya joins as our 2023 winery Intern while she pursues her continuing education and passion for wine. A recovering hi-tech sales & marketing leader, she’s completed her WSET L2 training and begins classes at the NW Wine Academy this fall. When not working in the Tasting Room, Marya can be found in the Wine Barn working with Chad and Jeana on harvest prep, production and bottling. Originally from Virginia, Marya has lived in Seattle since 1988 and has called Manson her “home away from home” since 2009.
Jesus & Junior
Chelan Valley Farms couldn’t run without the help of Jesus. This year Jesus’s son Junior joined our team. Both Jesus and Junior have deep knowledge of just about everything related to farm work and keep things running smoothly. Jesus’s 17 years of viticulture experience shows in the quality of the grapes and throughout the working farm. Junior is “master of everything” and is always there when we need him. When not working on the farm, you can find Jesus tending to his beautiful garden and yard. Junior enjoys photography and spending time with friends.
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