Kaj and Else Ahlmann grew up in Denmark, where Kaj started his professional life in international reinsurance. Else used her chemical skills as she worked for a consulting company that assisted breweries all over the world. The couple has four children, Christian, Michael, Marianne and Annette.
In 1993, Kaj was appointed CEO of Employers Reinsurance Corporation, a division of General Electric, and the family relocated to Kansas.
When in 2000 they purchased the 4,300 acre ranch in Lake County, California, Kaj decided to name it Six Sigma Ranch after the management process he had successfully implemented during his professional career.
At Six Sigma Ranch, Kaj applies his energy to doing things the "right" way to make a world-class wine. It began with the selection of land that would sustain vineyards at 1400-1700 feet altitude, providing the perfect terroir for excellent wines. On the ranch, the site for each vineyard is chosen with care - matching specific soils to specific varieties. The vineyards are farmed using sustainable practices - yielding grapes of pristine quality while preserving the land for generations to come.
As he is learning the trade of grapegrowing and winemaking, Kaj makes sure to surround himself with a team of people who are experts, each in his or her field.
May-britt and Denis Malbec, winemakers
Denis grew up in France and learned to walk in the cellars and vineyards of Chateau Latour in Bordeaux where he watched and studied the work of his father, Jean-Noel Malbec and grandfather, Camille Malbec. He studied viticulture and enology in Bordeaux and in Reims, Champagne, and completed his formal training by serving in internship positions at several premier French wineries.
While Denis was honing his winemaking skills, May-Britt was perfecting her craft as sommelier in Scandinavia. In 1992 she earned the Prince Henri-Melchior de Polignac award for "best sommelier" in the Nordic countries. In 1995, she moved to France to assume a role at Chateau Latour. Here, she met Denis who at that point in time was Cellar Master and Enologist. The couple stayed at Latour until 2000 when they left to start their own wine consulting company.Their knowledge and philosophy were a perfect fit with Six Sigma's values and principles, so in 2005 we secured their services for our new winery
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Kansas office for Six Sigma Ranch, Vineyards and Winery
