About Us
Why Koval?
Koval is Yiddish for “blacksmith,” but the word also refers to someone who is a “black sheep” or does something unexpected or out of the ordinary. Sonat’s great-grandfather earned Koval as his nickname when, at the ripe old age of 17, he surprised his family and emigrated from Vienna to Chicago in the early 1900s. Coincidentally, the surname of Robert’s grandfather (at whose side Robert learned the art of distilling) is Schmid—German for “smith.” Sonat and Robert chose the name Koval to honor both men—and to reflect their own extraordinary decision to give up comfortable jobs in DC, relocate to Chicago, and build a family business from the ground up.
Sonat – President
Sonat is a Chicago native who spent over a decade living in the most exciting cities of Europe only to confirm that there is no place like the “Paris of the Prairie.” And after the ivory towers of London and Oxford, the salty licorice ice cream of Stockholm’s Gamlastan, games of makot on chof Bograshov, late nights at Vienna’s Café Hawalka, swing dancing at Ballhaus Mitte and all that there is in the world great and beautiful, there is nothing more worthwhile than family (if one is lucky). And, being so lucky, starting a family business has only brought hers closer together. It got her sister and brother-in-law to take stems off literally tons of pears, her brother to put down his computer and pick up a broom, her mother to write beautiful poems and create amazing labels, her father to drive to the far reaches of the city to pick up various items of need, and it has made it possible for a husband and wife to work together on something they take pride in while keeping their sons close at hand.
Robert – Master Distiller and Chief Executive Officer
Robert is a native of Austria’s Salzkammergut, a region known for
having been a personal favorite of Kaiser Franz Joseph (a most
benevolent ruler), relaxing thermal pools, Café Zauner’s famous
pastries, and a host of distillers that turn local produce into a
variety of fine spirits. Robert’s grandparents have spent over 40 years
in the distilling and brewing business, producing award-winning “most”
(a kind of pear beer) and prized distillates using the fruits of their
orchard and grains of their field. They thought that one of their
children would carry on the family tradition of distilling, but it
would have to wait a generation. Before deciding to distill, Robert
studied politics and economics in Austria and Morocco and served as the
Deputy Director of the Austrian Press and Information Service at the
Austrian Embassy in Washington, DC. His decision to distill was born out
of his love of traditional crafts and the pride of a small family
business, both of which exemplify the real American dream.
Mark – Distiller and Chief Operating Officer
When checking Mark's job description, you will see a long list of daily tasks and duties. Robert and Sonat left one thing off the list: being awesome. "Awesomeness," however, is not just a daily task--it's a way of life for Mark. He first started at Koval while attending college at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Needing an internship to graduate, he found Koval and applied. Minutes after leaving his interview, Mark got the job at the distillery and never left....in all likelihood, he is probably there right now. (We're thinking of buying him an awesome sleeping bag or something.)
Jason – Office Manager
A native of Wisconsin and survivor of jobs in county government and the nonprofit world, Jason is thrilled to be part of a thriving, sustainable (and German-speaking!) local business in his adopted hometown of Chicago. He studied international relations and urban planning at American University and the University of Illinois, respectively, and was an intern in the British Parliament and a Fulbright Fellow in Germany (where he memorably appeared as a member of a tasting jury on the TV cooking show “Kochduell”). Jason–who has a scary amount of expertise in both tax increment financing and pub trivia–also makes a mean schnitzel, often sports a mohawk and/or suspenders, and recently bought a ukulele.
Meg – National Distillery Ambassador
If you have been lucky enough to catch one of our events, you may have already met Meg as she handed you a little cup of whiskey or other potent potable. An avid lover of whiskey from an early age, Meg jokes that being a brand ambassador for Koval is a job for which she has been training her whole life. Raised in the country of Oklahoma where she camped in the "back 40" (40 acres for you city folk), had off-road truck get-aways, and butchered chickens, she left to obtain a degree from Valparaiso University in both theater and graphic design, studied abroad in England, and eventually landed in Chicago. Meg is always scheming new adventures and events to make her adopted home of Chicago more interesting.
Danny – Assistant Distiller
Danny hails from Norfolk, Virginia, and spent his childhood sailing from one naval base to another with his family. After high school, he decided to attend the University of Chicago, choosing the Midwest as he’d “never lived in the middle” – though he soon found more compelling reasons to stay. He majored in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, which is, of course, essential to making delicious whiskey, and joined Koval as a full-time assistant distiller this year. While technically awesome in his own right, Danny has failed to make awesomeness a lifestyle like Mark and has instead settled for the title of “pretty great.” When he isn’t at Koval, Danny can probably be found hanging around Maria’s Packaged Goods and Community Bar, which aside from having most of our products is also two doors down from his house.
Jen – Southern Distillery Ambassador
Jen is a native of New Orleans, the original cocktail city. She moved north to Chicago for college, but found herself truly at home in our distillery. Armed with a degree in anthropology and a healthy reverence for a well-mixed Sazerac, she's thrilled to be introducing Koval to the South, where she can usually be found sipping whiskey on the porch in the shade of the banana trees.
Mark – Distiller and Chief Operating Officer
When checking Mark's job description, you will see a long list of daily tasks and duties. Robert and Sonat left one thing off the list: being awesome. "Awesomeness," however, is not just a daily task--it's a way of life for Mark. He first started at Koval while attending college at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Needing an internship to graduate, he found Koval and applied. Minutes after leaving his interview, Mark got the job at the distillery and never left....in all likelihood, he is probably there right now. (We're thinking of buying him an awesome sleeping bag or something.)
Jason – Office Manager
A native of Wisconsin and survivor of jobs in county government and the nonprofit world, Jason is thrilled to be part of a thriving, sustainable (and German-speaking!) local business in his adopted hometown of Chicago. He studied international relations and urban planning at American University and the University of Illinois, respectively, and was an intern in the British Parliament and a Fulbright Fellow in Germany (where he memorably appeared as a member of a tasting jury on the TV cooking show “Kochduell”). Jason–who has a scary amount of expertise in both tax increment financing and pub trivia–also makes a mean schnitzel, often sports a mohawk and/or suspenders, and recently bought a ukulele.
Meg – National Distillery Ambassador
If you have been lucky enough to catch one of our events, you may have already met Meg as she handed you a little cup of whiskey or other potent potable. An avid lover of whiskey from an early age, Meg jokes that being a brand ambassador for Koval is a job for which she has been training her whole life. Raised in the country of Oklahoma where she camped in the "back 40" (40 acres for you city folk), had off-road truck get-aways, and butchered chickens, she left to obtain a degree from Valparaiso University in both theater and graphic design, studied abroad in England, and eventually landed in Chicago. Meg is always scheming new adventures and events to make her adopted home of Chicago more interesting.
Danny – Assistant Distiller
Danny hails from Norfolk, Virginia, and spent his childhood sailing from one naval base to another with his family. After high school, he decided to attend the University of Chicago, choosing the Midwest as he’d “never lived in the middle” – though he soon found more compelling reasons to stay. He majored in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, which is, of course, essential to making delicious whiskey, and joined Koval as a full-time assistant distiller this year. While technically awesome in his own right, Danny has failed to make awesomeness a lifestyle like Mark and has instead settled for the title of “pretty great.” When he isn’t at Koval, Danny can probably be found hanging around Maria’s Packaged Goods and Community Bar, which aside from having most of our products is also two doors down from his house.
Jen – Southern Distillery Ambassador
Jen is a native of New Orleans, the original cocktail city. She moved north to Chicago for college, but found herself truly at home in our distillery. Armed with a degree in anthropology and a healthy reverence for a well-mixed Sazerac, she's thrilled to be introducing Koval to the South, where she can usually be found sipping whiskey on the porch in the shade of the banana trees.
