The Women of Eight Oaks, Part 2: Tessa Koss
At the heart of everything we do at Eight Oaks Farm Distillery is our commitment to help make our community a better place.
A part of that is our commitment to the growth of local jobs. We welcome our crew into our family and provide them a career where they can learn and grow.
Tess Koss is an example of what it means to work hard and pursue your passions.
Tessa, or Mama T as we like to call her, is known by her college friends and family as the "knower of random facts" and a bit of a nerd. She loves learning how things work, how things are made, and has a passion for passing that knowledge on to other people.
When she’s not at work, you’ll find her spending time with her husband, Peter, and daughter Pearl, working on the farm together. Pearl loves to learn about their animals and farm equipment.
Mama T and Peter
Mama T started at Eight Oaks in 2017 as a brand ambassador at Easton Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. She enjoyed talking with people about the history and distillation process of each spirit, which allowed her to geek out on the process and share that with customers.
At the end of that Easton Farmers’ Market season she worked as a bartender at the Farm Distillery and Kitchen. Since then she’s worked her way up to Assistant Farm Distillery Kitchen Manager and eventually the full-time Manager in 2020.
Her creativity, curiosity, and knack for flavor combinations is behind all our unique cocktails, and she was the driving force behind our line of Greenhouse Bitters, which include our Aromatic Bitters and Citrus Bitters.
Daughter Pearl
How Mama T Leads at Eight Oaks
As the Farm Distillery and Kitchen Manager Mama T works directly with the weekend bartending and serving crew, helps to create our cocktail menu, and maintains the unique and fun environment our customers have come to love at the farm distillery and kitchen.
To her, leaders are passionate, strong people who are responsible for not only helping others succeed in their roles, but also responsible for acknowledging and fixing their own mistakes.
Why She Works at Eight Oaks
Quite simply, she fell in love with the story behind the company, the commitment to the community, and the people connected with Eight Oaks.
She already had a passion for mixology and the opportunity to learn more about the history of spirits and how to make them was a perfect fit.
A Quote that Guides Her Every Day
"You are Braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you'll ever know." ~Winnie the Pooh
At Eight Oaks we don’t just make whiskey, we make a difference.
Tell us what you want to see in future blog posts. You can do that by sending your feedback to Josh at jvandenberg@eightoaksdistillery.com.
We’ll work as many questions into future posts as we can, and for those topics selected we’ll make sure to send you a fun prize pack.