We’ve got a new Sales Manager starting at the brewery, and it’s safe to say that he knows his stuff. Evan Kostka’s been in beverage sales for just about as long as he’s been able to work a full-time job, and we’re excited to see what he’ll bring to the organization.

Originally born in Maryland, his family moved to Cherry Hill when Evan was in third grade.

“Most of my conscious life was in Cherry Hill, New Jersey,” he says.

He went to Bishop Eustace for high school before moving on to St. Joe’s.

For those of you lacking in your Philadelphia rivalry knowledge, St. Joseph’s University is a stone’s throw from our beloved Villanova, a mere five-and-a-half miles up the Main Line toward Philly. The basketball rivalry between the two schools — called the “Holy War” — is one of the most intense in sports, with a deep-seeded and lifelong animosity bristling at the sheer mention of the other school.

However, as ‘Nova currently leads the rivalry at 48-25, we have a little more reason to hold our heads higher.

But we won’t hold it against him. Seriously. We like him regardless of his choice in universities. Although… he did make that choice twice — he got a Masters in International Marketing from St. Joe’s as well.

Nonetheless, he’s put his education to good use, coming to us from Kramer Beverage. He was with Warren before they were bought by Kramer, and, before that, Moore Brothers Wine Company in Pennsauken.

“It’s a specialty wine retail store,” he explains. “Way different from any other store you’ve probably been to. It’s all small, artisan producers. It’s pretty cool.”

He’s obsessed with sports. However, unlike many sports nuts, he loves the math behind the games and tries not to associate with any particular team.

“Soccer and hockey,” he says. “I’m a stats freak. As I’ve gotten older, I don’t really care about teams as much. I hope my teams do well, but at the end of the day, I can sleep at night. I don’t really care.”

When pressed, Evan admits to being a massive Chelsea fan, so he can side with Richie — a fellow fan — in arguments with Mike, who loves Manchester United. It’s hard to believe that nearly our entire sales force is soccer fans. Poor Chuck’s eyes will glass over when sports become a topic of conversation.

“I play soccer twice a week, too,” Evan tells us. “I play indoor in Mount Laurel and Marlton.”

Unfortunately, at the moment, Evan is on the injured reserve list: he tore some ligaments in his ankle three weeks ago. The doctor told him he’d be out for three months.

“I say another week,” Evan laughs. “It’s whenever I can run without pain.”

He also rock climbs three days a week at a place in Maple Shade.

“I’m gonna give that a whirl and see how my ankle holds up tonight,” he says. “It’s been about three weeks.”

Evan’s a guy who enjoys doing what he loves. Wasting time on things he doesn’t care about is a death sentence, and we admire that about him.

“I like doing what I love,” he says. “Things that I care about. I hate doing things I don’t care about.”

Thankfully, he seems to care about quite a lot. He loves to cook, seafood being a favorite. He’s also a big reader, leaning toward fiction. He’s a sucker for thrillers and mystery novels.

“I love knowledge,” he says. “Learning, learning, learning.”

He also loves Cape May — “I just wish it wasn’t so far away,” he says. When he worked for Warren, he covered New Jersey’s southern six counties for their craft offerings, so he’s no stranger to Cape May.

“Come summertime,” he says, “I was down the shore once or twice a week.”

With all of his time in beverage sales, he’s always wanted to work for a brewery, but he’d never really felt an affinity to any of the opportunities that came available to him while at Warren or Kramer.

“I need to sell something I care about and a brand I believe in,” he tells us. “I can’t just work for a brewery to say that I’m working for a brewery. I love Cape May’s beers, and I really love the lifestyle and culture that CMBC promotes. It’s super important to me.”

Evan is a true people-person, and he’s really looking forward to getting back on the road and seeing his customers.

“I love my customers,” he tells us. “I have really good relationships, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there and selling them some beer again.”

Thus far, he’s loving CMBC, particularly the culture of the organization and the communication between the people here.

“I like that it’s loose but professional,” he tells us. “I like the community. I like how everyone sits together and updates everyone.”

Mostly, though, Evan loves our Jersey Fresh Honey Porter.

“It’s the first Cape May beer I had,” he says. “And I’m not a porter/stout person. I like them, but I’d reach for something with hops beforehand. But I love it.”

Evan’s going to be covering the western section of South Jersey for us, so you’ll see him out on the road soon. Be sure to say hello!