From Hospitality to farming and Covid Health Care

Class Notes
Class of 1990
Posted on December 8, 2021

Happy Holidays to all from Germany-

I am finally reunited with my mother after 2 years of Covid forced separation.
It is wonderful to be home with family & friends after such a long travel ban. 3 years ago I purchased a large parcel of land in the Hudson Valley, specifically Kingston NY as an investment as well as a plan to develop it into a prime artisanal product producing farm along with cabin rentals on site. Little did I know that when I resigned from my last hospitality engagement in Miami, I would become a farmer on the fast track through YouTube & Google during Covid, only weeks after moving onto my property in early February ‘20 when we went into total lockdown. Luckily for me I was secluded on 45 acres just with my dog and a large to do list of projects. I had recently launched my own cigar line from the Dominican Republic but that project was put on hold since all US cigar retailers got shut down. What better time to start my long list of improvements on my land. And so by studying vigorously online by watching how-to videos and reading many books on the topics I had to conquer I became a Goat father, a Coop daddy and a beekeeper all within 6 months, managed to get a Micro Farm Winery license from the state, started making my own wine from apples (a German specialty) and found myself completely engulfed in a new chapter of life. Tending to my animals on a daily basis, learning by doing. Without any help from the outside world I am now a proud new farmer & winemaker based in the Hudson Valley. I turned the main farm house into a vacation rental which has been booked since day 1 and I continue to host mostly families or groups from NYC who come for an overall farm experience. This Summer coming, I will be producing my own goat cheese as I was blessed with 5 goat kids on mother’s day and the herd is growing strong. The first wine season was unexpectedly busy and I sold every single bottle of wine I made. Plans for expanding the production for ‘22 are in place and with some luck my wine will make it onto some shelves in the greater NY area next year. As things now have somewhat “normalized” I was able to streamline the process of running the farm in order to focus on my new business endeavors.

Just recently I joined AdaptivBioMed as a partner. We are now one of the largest factory direct Covid test distributors and the #1 preferred provider for mandate compliant testing, reporting and tracking software for employers, schools and organizations.
100% OSHA & HIPPA compliant with patient management & telehealth. . We are working with several Fortune 500 companies and are setting up their mandate complaint testing programs by providing a full service solution.
Should any of you be interested in this sector for your own company, please reach out to me. I’d be happy to talk to you directly and discuss how we can help.

Naturally if any Deerfield Alumni are in the area of Kingston NY you are always welcome to stop and say Hi at the farm.
We re-open this spring. Stop by & try some German Apple Wine !

Wishing everybody a happy & HEALTHY holiday season ! Looking forward to hearing from any & everyone

Regards,
Alexander Lehnen ‘90

(561)-563-0523 mobile
A.Lehnen@adaptivbiomed.com
www.numberonecigars.com
Vonsaladfarm Kingston New York

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Upon graduating from Deerfield, alumni enter a diverse network of former Deerfield students. Deerfield alumni have ventured into almost every area of employment, and many are at the top of their respective fields. The advantages of this vast network are numerous and significant, as every member of the Deerfield family receives the following:

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