Ken Freeman, along with his wife, Akiko, are the founders and proprietors of Freeman Vineyard & Winery in Sebastopol, CA. Ken fell under the thrall of wine’s mystery while growing up in Scarsdale, New York, amidst a wine loving family. After earning his M.B.A. from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, Ken worked for years establishing the Discovery Channel in Asia, taking him and Akiko to Singapore and Hong Kong. Whenever possible, the Freemans traveled to the world’s great winegrowing regions, including trips to many of the great wineries of France. In 1997, Ken took a position at CNET in California, and the Freemans’ winemaking dream began to crystallize into a venture to make cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. They began searching for grower partners and vineyard properties in the coolest parts of the Russian River Valley and on the extreme Sonoma Coast.
In 2001, Ken and Akiko acquired a small winery in the Russian River Valley town of Sebastopol where they established Freeman Vineyard & Winery. Ken has become a jack-of-all-trades, helping to plant and manage their estate, Gloria and Yu-Ki vineyards, often rolling up his sleeves to help with the winemaking and adding his palate to the blending team. Ken is one of six founding members of the West Sonoma Coast Vintners and is on the board of the Sonoma Land Trust. Oh yeah, in his free time, Ken is a Managing Director of Harpeth Capital, a middle market investment banking firm.