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David Hejl

David Hejl
General Manager

David’s passion for fine wine began while putting himself through school working as a waiter, sommelier and chef, but took it to a whole new level while living in Paris, France for Nabisco.  It was there that he experienced first hand the art of wine, food and culture in a way that was spiritual, all in the beautiful City of Light. David has always had his eye on the wine industry and a strong desire to leverage his expertise to further an aspiring wine brand.

David has been a student of fine wine and food his whole life, and from his perspective, has been training for this role for three decades. Over the years, having traveled around the world 50 times and visiting every major wine region in the world, the adventure was never complete without discovering and enjoying the local food, wines and terroir.

David has long been a strong supporter of Kosta Browne, a dear friend and mentor to founder, Michael Browne, and was approached by the three founding partners, including Dan Kosta and Chris Costello, to join the organization during the 2011 harvest.  “I am excited and honored to bring my passion and pursuit of exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to the great team at Kosta Browne.” 

Prior to joining Kosta Browne, David accumulated over 30 years experience in growth-oriented strategy execution within the food and consumer products industry and held executive positions with Nabisco, Berkshire Hathaway, Gourmet Award Foods, Ruiz Food Products, and most recently President & CEO of CPI International. In addition, he has 15 years of private equity investment experience and currently sits on various Boards of Directors.

David received his BS in Accounting and Finance from the University of Nebraska, is a CPA, and holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. David is also a noted speaker and has been on the Marketing and Finance faculties of University of San Francisco McLaren School of Management, Marquette University and University of St. Thomas.

David and his wife Allison have lived in Sonoma County for fifteen years and reside in Bennett Valley with their two boys, Andrew and Zachary. David enjoys BBQ, surfing, skiing, winemaking and wine collecting, spending time with family and friends, and learning French.