Last month was bittersweet for us here at Hafner Vineyard. One of our longest tenured employees, José Luis Lopez, retired from Hafner Vineyard. We will miss his talents, his work ethic and his wonderful smile. José Luis, or Güicho as he is known by his family and friends, has worked continuously with us for the last 32 years, but he is quick to tell you that he has worked with every one of our vineyard managers. 
José Luis was born in Palo Alto, Michoacan, Mexico, one of six Lopez boys. In 1975, he started working with us seasonally and became full-time at Hafner Vineyard in 1992. It’s hard to believe, but since our founding in 1967, José Luis or one of his brothers has always been a part of our vineyard crew and for many years, there were three of the Lopez brothers working with us.

Brothers José Luis and Gerardo

José Luis’ skills are many. An avid gardener, it’s not surprising that he is an expert pruner, often mentoring our younger team members. Whenever a fence needed rebuilding, we would call on José Luis to lead the team; his attention to detail guaranteed that the project would be done properly. The fence would be straight and tight when finished. His skills extended to trellis installation (and subsequent repairs.) For many years, José Luis was one of our main tractor drivers. During harvest, he was the first vineyard crew member I would see, around 5 AM, when he would deliver the first load of grapes to the winery. He would help unload the gondolas making sure that the fruit sorter ran flawlessly.

Outside of work, José Luis is a serious gardener, farming fruit trees and vegetables. He has an amazing green thumb. He and his wife, Leticia, sell their produce to friends and neighbors. They also sell vegetable starts and fruit trees. (Sarah and I have several of his in our orchard.) During harvest every year, he would bring me a bag of limes he had just picked because he knew that I love Mojitos. Also, José Luis has helped manage our food bank garden, donating plants, weeding and giving valuable advice.
One of his passions is fishing; every year on his birthday, José Luis would take the day off and spend it fishing. In his first week of retirement, José Luis convinced Assistant Winemaker Ricardo to join him, and they headed to a lake where they spent the afternoon fishing.
I take great pride in the longevity of our employees, many of whom have worked with us for decades. As one of the owners of the business, I don’t think of them as someone who works for us, but rather someone who works with us. For me, it is all of us working together that makes Hafner Vineyard the family business that we are.