Jens Hansen of Maple Valley said he’s quite happy to be working on Veterans Day this year. After more than two decades serving in the Air Force, Hansen was medically retired and had to transition to civilian life with a new career. He used his GI Bill to attend the Northwest Wine Academy and started a new mission to become a winemaker. Uva Furem Winery is a serious business with a humorous name. The Latin translation is “Grape Smuggler” and was a nickname Hansen was given by a fellow soldier. Jens convinced his brother T.J., a software engineer, to join the winemaking venture and the pair have been in business for several years now. The launch of the winery was a mixed success due to the timing. Uva Furem opened in April of 2020, just as the pandemic closures started shutting down much of the country. “In the beginning I had wine and no customers so I was on social media offering to deliver to people’s door step and it actually worked. All of those customers are still customers today.” says Hansen. READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/veteran-owned-winery-maple-valley-support-others-who-served/281-d7a8fdb6-8f0d-4219-aff4-0c6edc2fecdc