After his retirement from the Organization of American States, Ambassador Orfila re-entered the business world as a consultant and investor in the field of international finances and real estate. In August 1989, Ambassador Orfila and his wife, Helga Leifeld, moved to Rancho Santa Fe, California where he engaged in real estate and community activities and purchased Orfila Vineyards & Winery in April 1994.
Ambassador Orfila has been decorated by a number of European, Latin American and Asian governments and has received honorary degrees from universities in the United States and Latin America.
During Ambassador Orfila's diplomatic career, he met every American president from Truman to Clinton - and some he has known very well. He met his wife during a gala celebrating the 10th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - an event during which he was the escort for Jacqueline Kennedy.
