The craigslist ad was pretty weird and a little vague.
It posed the question – are you creative with recipes? But it didn’t say much more.
Veronica Townsend, originally from Mays Landing, had been in the culinary program at Atlantic-Cape Community College. She was working as a line cook in the Cape May area and soon found herself needing a new job for the winter. That’s when she found the ad, and soon, a whole new career.
That was about eight years ago and it turned out the ad was for a job as a distiller with what would become Nauti Spirits Distillery in North Cape May.
Townsend said that at the time she answered the ad the only other people connected with the project were an architect and the head distiller.
“I learned everything from the ground up,” Townsend said. “I learned it all from grain to glass here.”
Townsend must have been a quick learner because she soon found herself in the role of head distiller, leading the company through its start-up phase.
After a few years, Townsend left Nauti, and New Jersey, for experiences elsewhere in the spirits industry.
She’s been back about a year now, once again in the role of head distiller, making her the perfect person to track the company’s growth.
She said she returned to the distillery last year over Labor Day weekend and she couldn’t believe how busy the distillery was.
“You never have a dull day here,” she said.
She said the biggest change she’s noticed since leaving and coming back is just in the growth of the distillery.
“We have way more spirits on the lineup, which is cool and exciting,” she said.
Tommy Peters, the distillery’s marketing manager, said that despite the growth, the commitment to the farm-to-bottle concept will always be a core principle for Nauti Spirits.
“Sustainability was always a focus,” Peters said. “When Steve and Caroline (Miller), the owners, found this land, they knew that they could essentially preserve this little chunk of farmland right here in the middle of Cape May, that a lot of people don’t even know is here.”
Peters said the land is preserved for agricultural use and said Nauti Spirits puts that designation to good use.
He said they grow their own corn and rye to make their spirits, along with juniper and other botanicals used as flavorings.
Like so many others in the local craft beverage world, they purchase their malted grain from Rabbit Hill Farms in Shiloh, Cumberland County, and Peters said they buy sweet potatoes for their vodka from a farm in North Carolina, and get molasses for their rum from Florida.
“We always try to source things from family-owned farms,” he said.
Peters said the fact that they take so much care in selecting the ingredients means they end up with a product where you can taste the difference, and that, Peters said, has been their recipe for success.
“I think that what makes us stand out is the fact that we really want to highlight the grain,” he said. “We grow it and we source it locally so our spirits are grain-forward. Flavor-wise, they kind of stand out.”
Visit www.nautispirits.com for more.
