At Kodas we are Inventors. Optimists. Hard workers and Fiery Spirits. We believe that every person is capable of greatness. And that a life not shared is a life not lived. We believe in the power of ideas. In taking risks. And doing things that scare us shitless. We believe that who we are is a reflection of what we eat. That quality in equals quality out. At KODAS, we exist to create foods that define us.
Finland, 2003. Tea and Sulev Nõmmann, two souls with the urge to experience as much as possible in their lives. After working as scientists, diplomats, architects, economists and entrepreneurs travelling the world, it was now time to start something that would hopefully last generations.
While living in Finland with their four children, Sulev attended a year-long course on alcoholic beverages. Slowly an interest in ciders began to arise. As the final part of the course, the first batch of cider was brewed. There wasn’t a drop left of Sulev’s cider after the final celebrations. The love for Sulev’s first batch of cider, visiting local orchards in the Turku isles and the urge to move back to their homeland of Estonia sparked an idea to begin making cider.
But where to begin? For Sulev and Tea, there was only one option - to choose what seemed right, not easy. There are no shortcuts if you dare to pursue something greater. This meant buying the land and planting our orchards. Sulev took a big risk - it would take 7 years until the apple trees reach their full capacity. The first 4000 apple trees were planted in 2006. Siidrikoda was born. What ensued could only be described as a wild roller coaster ride of ups and downs, success and failures. There were times where giving up seemed so close - growing 4 children and working a full-time job while building a cider mill on the other side of the country is the very opposite of easy. But we never gave up on the dream. Little by little everything started to work out.
Our first batch of cider entered the market in 2015. It did not take long for our ciders to gain local and international recognition. In 2016 two of our ciders - Snoob and Säde - won silver medals in the International Cider Challenge and in 2017 Mimikri struck gold. Finally the dedication, attention to detail and hard work had paid off.
After success with our ciders, we eventually arrived at the question - what next? Whether we stay as a small cider mill in Southern Estonia or do we dare to dream bigger? New ideas began to fly as the children had now grown into adults full of ambition. Long and stressful days at Siidrikoda had taught us a lot about the value of balance. That you’re only as effective at working hard and achieving your goals as you are at taking a break and enjoying the journey itself. That fulfillment comes from reaching the destination as well as enjoying the road there. That you shouldn’t choose between hard work and enjoying life - you can and should do both. From that idea KODAS was born. Now, not even the sky is the limit. KODAS - a journey to live a fulfilling life.
Founder & CEO
While most people just talk about their ideas, Sulev is the rare kind of person who actually brings his ideas to life. After experiencing more than others would in two lifetimes, he had the crazy idea to start a cider business in Southern Estonia. And you know what? Here we are now.
Senior Manager
If Batman has Robin, Sulev has Tea. There couldn’t be one without the other. She’s the one who takes Sulev’s crazy ideas, puts them on an excel spreadsheet and makes them possible. Besides keeping Sulev’s high-flying ideas under control, she’s also responsible for quality management (ISO 9001:2015), bureaucracy and is the official Queen of Microsoft Excel.
Marketing and Sales
Growing up with the company has taught Ingmar the ins and outs of the whole business and the story behind it. The great ambition now is to take what his parents have built, developing the vision for the future and bringing it all to life.
Digital marketing
Production Manager
Kaidi will take on anything no matter how difficult or unfamiliar. Her positivity and hands-on attitude make her a fast learner and pleasure to work with. Besides having a degree in chemistry and a palate for craft beverages, she’s also a master at Ultimate Frisbee in her spare time.
Head of R&D
While most of his time is spent in a lab developing all kinds of delicious high-tech food and beverage products, he’s definitely not your typical lab guy to say the least. Whenever he’s not in the lab, he’s either on TV talking about food science, doing sports or brewing beer or cider at home.
Restaurant Events and Communication
It never gets boring with Iris. Her lively and charismatic personality combined with her experience in both the music and restaurant industry leads to the coolest of parties. Iris is the kind of person who makes sure that in addition to guests having the time of their lives, the staff are taken care of as well. / that everyone is having the time of their lives.
Restaurant Manager
If she was a captain, you’d definitely want to be on her boat. She always gives 110% and will go further than most to make sure everything runs smoothly. This means even becoming a chef when needed. Her quirky personality and strong work ethic are something to be admired.
Bar Manager
The sun definitely shines day and night with Hanna. If her lively and positive personality doesn’t lift your mood, then one of her delicious cocktails certainly will. There are no bad days when you have her around.
Restaurant Marketing Manager
She’s the kind of person who’ll say “Let’s do it!” to even the craziest of ideas. With an eye for photography and design, she’ll make sure you look good both offline and online.
Head Chef of KODAS Restaurant
Nobody knows how, but everything he touches turns into gold. Our own Michelin-Star Chef in the making. He’s definitely the chillest chef you’ll meet as well - I bet not even Gordon Ramsay could crack him.
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NB! For the time being we deliver our products only to following countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Let us know where we should ship next!
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