All entrepreneurs know that inspiration can strike at any moment. Turning that spark into a successful business is where the real work begins, as alumna Ksenia Stepanovitch is discovering.
After nearly a decade working in high-paced tech startups and innovation across multiple industries, Ksenia reached a point where something deeper was calling. “I had spent years navigating complex systems, building from scratch and helping entrepreneurs bring ideas to market and scale businesses. I loved that pace and challenge. But I knew I had to channel my energy into something more personal. Purpose and passion had to go hand in hand. I wasn’t actively searching, but something in me knew there was more.”
A taste that changed everything
That moment came on a quiet morning walk in a small village outside Stuttgart. Visiting her partner’s family, she passed farmers selling fresh meat just meters from where it was raised. They brought a few cuts home and cooked. That meal reignited everything. One bite and it all came rushing back.
“It was simple, but the flavor gave me goosebumps,” she says. “It brought me straight back to my roots. To the real taste of meat I grew up with. A flavor of our family farm and the kitchens of our restaurants, where I spent most of my childhood. It was not just the memory. It was the unmistakable quality, the kind of flavor that only comes from animals raised with care by people you knew by name.
“This is the kind of meat that makes a chef pause, smile and say, this is what real food tastes like. Where true quality speaks for itself in every bite.”
From curiosity to commitment
Back in Berlin, that feeling stayed with her. In a city full of talented chefs and vibrant kitchens, she knew there was a hunger for something more authentic. Together with her partner, she began meeting farmers in the region, learning about their animals and sourcing exceptional cuts. Then came the moment of truth: introducing the products to chefs.
“One bite, and they understood. You could see it in their eyes and the smile. They tasted the difference,” she says.
That was the start of FARMERY, a trusted sourcing partner for chefs who demand exceptional meat with traceable origins, no shortcuts and flavor that tells a story. Built on care, connection and uncompromising standards, FARMERY brings real food back to where it belongs: on people’s plates.
Bridging the gap between fields and kitchens
The best meat is often found at farms just outside the city, but for many chefs, it might as well be a world away.
“We are solving a problem rooted in disconnection,” says Ksenia. “Chefs are looking for specific cuts with consistency, traceability and flavor they can stand behind. But small farms raising animals the right way need to sell the whole animal to survive. Both are working with care and high standards, yet the system keeps them apart.”
FARMERY is changing that. By working closely with both parties, it builds a sourcing model rooted in transparency, communication and respect. It expands access to exceptional regional meat and ensures every part of the animal finds its place. For chefs, it means knowing where their ingredients come from, while for farmers, it means having reliable partners who value their work.
“This is not just about logistics; it’s about restoring connection and building trust across the entire food chain, from farm to kitchen,” says Ksenia. “That is the gap we are closing and the impact is just beginning.”
Precision, trust and the puzzle behind every cut
Coordinating farms and kitchens requires a deep understanding of both sides. Farmers work in seasonal rhythms and chefs plan dynamic menus. Deliveries must arrive on time, in the right quantity and with exceptional quality, week after week.
“This is where our work really starts,” says Ksenia. “We are connecting two very different worlds. The slow rhythm of farming with the speed and precision of gastronomy. It is not just about getting meat from A to B. It is about aligning needs, planning ahead and finding a home for every cut. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle and every piece matters.
“Our chefs rely on us to deliver quality they can count on. As well as logistics, that takes accuracy, communication and experience of being embedded in the day-to-day realities of the field and the kitchen.”
FARMERY works with chefs who care deeply about where their food comes from and what it represents. It is about building something that lasts rather than scale for the sake of it.
Bringing hospitality into every layer of the business
While FARMERY may not resemble a traditional hospitality business at first glance, Ksenia believes the knowledge and mindset she developed at Glion have been essential to building it.
“Hospitality taught me how to think in systems, how to anticipate needs before they are expressed and how to create value through service, experience and trust,” she says. “And I use these skills every day. What’s more, at Glion I learned how to work under pressure, communicate across cultures and stay solution oriented no matter how complex the challenge is. Remaining composed, thinking on your feet and delivering consistent quality are things that have translated directly from hospitality to building FARMERY.”
And although she is not running a luxury hotel or high-end restaurant, Ksenia is still working with some of the most demanding clients in hospitality – top chefs.
“Thanks to my Glion education and subsequent experience, I understand how culinary professionals operate at the highest level, what they expect and how important it is to deliver not just the product, but also confidence, timing and clarity. That is something I could only appreciate because I was trained in their world. And to build the kind of relationships I need to establish, you need to know that world.
The natural choice
Ksenia’s understanding of hospitality began long before she attended Glion. For her, it is not so much an industry as a way of life.
“I grew up in a family that runs restaurants and spent most of my childhood in them,” she says. “Some of my best memories are of being in the restaurants and spending time with the teams there. It felt like my extended family. I learned a lot about how each element of a restaurant operates, including the accounting side.
“My parents were super sociable as well, frequently hosting huge gatherings in the restaurants or at home on our family farm. I did not realize it at the time, but what I was experiencing was hospitality in its purest form. Care, connection and the magic of shared experience.”
Even before Glion, Ksenia immersed herself in the world of high-end hospitality, working extra shifts outside of school simply because she loved the environment and wanted to learn more. “I worked breakfast service and as a hostess at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm, then moved to the front office at Hilton Slussen. I wanted to understand every part of the guest experience and feel the rhythm of these iconic places from the inside.”
With hospitality practically in her blood, it is no surprise she chose to broaden her knowledge of the industry by studying at one of the world’s most prestigious hospitality schools.
“After high school, my choice of what to do next was easy,” she says. “Hospitality was a continuation of everything I already loved, so it was natural that is what I would study. During my research, Glion stood out as one of the top hospitality schools, but it was also recommended highly by family friends whose children were studying there at the time.”
A place for growth
While overall positive, Ksenia’s Glion experience was colored by the loss of her father just before she arrived.
“Those first weeks, I was doing everything I was supposed to do, but largely on autopilot,” she says. “It was a time of deep transition. New country, new rhythm, new people, new life, all while being away from my family and everything familiar. Yet Glion felt like the right place to begin again.
There was a calm, intentional energy to it. The quiet structure of campus life, the stillness of Lake Geneva and the strength of the surrounding Swiss Alps gave me space to breathe. That helped me feel anchored at a time when I needed it most.”
Ksenia’s time at Glion sparked both professional discovery and personal development. She gravitated toward courses that connected creativity with strategy.
“Entrepreneurial management and anything connected to it, such as marketing and sales, communication, innovation and brand strategy, naturally piqued my interest,” says Ksenia. “I also loved how Glion approached leadership. Not just a role, but a mindset rooted in self-awareness, adaptability and being there for others. That has stayed with me ever since.
Her two six-month internships brought those lessons to life in ways she could not have predicted.
“The first took me to Bora Bora, working in food and beverage for Sofitel. It was an incredible setting, but also a strange kind of isolation. I had to adapt not just to the culture and long hours from morning to night, but also to being so far from home, from friends and from everything familiar.”
“The second internship was in London with a startup company that organized ‘fashion meets food’ events in Mayfair for high-profile guests. Again, this was great experience in a field that really interested me.”
What also stayed with her were the connections she made while at Glion with fellow students. “I was introduced to new people, new ideas and ultimately to myself as well,” she says. “Glion brings together students from all over the world, and I formed deep, lasting friendships with people who inspired and challenged me while living and working so closely with them.
“I felt like I was growing both academically and personally. We still stay in touch and follow each other’s journeys. And when you travel, anywhere you go, there is someone from Glion there, which is amazing.”
Shaped by leadership, strategy and the unexpected
Following her graduation, Ksenia chose not to follow the traditional path in hospitality. Instead, she was drawn to explore her entrepreneurial instincts and learn hands-on how companies are built from the ground up across every aspect of the process.
“I was really curious to understand how businesses come to life,” she says. “I wanted to see what it takes to build something from scratch and be part of that journey. So I returned to Stockholm and began working across a range of industries and projects, including food tech, fintech, lifestyle brands, automotive and even solar energy. What connected them all was a focus on innovation, growth and the excitement of building something new.”
Over the past decade, Ksenia lived and worked in London, Norway, Sweden and eventually Germany, gaining experience in both startups and larger companies. Along the way, she also completed a master’s degree in digital management in Stockholm, which helped her combine creativity with strategic thinking and technological insight.
“That gave me a broader perspective and the confidence to think beyond traditional career paths,” she adds. “Then about five years ago, I moved to Berlin on a one-way ticket. I did not have a fixed plan, but my family had relocated here and when the pandemic hit, I wanted to be close to them.”
Coming full circle – and redefining hospitality on her own terms
While her path may have looked like a step away from hospitality, Ksenia sees it differently. “I never really left,” she says. “I just came back to what hospitality truly means to me. Not a uniform, a hotel or a restaurant, but the feeling of care, connection and generosity that made me fall in love with the industry in the first place.”
To discover more about FARMERY, visit Ksenia's LinkedIn page
Photo credit
Bora Bora image: Maridav/Getty
