Chopin Vodka is entirely family-owned and operated

“There’s so much written about wonderful wines, and scotches, and tequilas, and rums, and not very much about vodkas,” says Tad Dorda, founder and CEO of Poland’s Chopin Vodka. “Why don’t we start talking about the biggest distilled spirit in the world?”

The process of making vodka starts, of course, with the humble potato. Potato farmer Marek Wierzejski and his family’s farm have been selling potatoes to Chopin for over three decades. The potatoes are planted across four hectares of land in the spring and harvested in the fall. Within three days of being brought to Chopin’s distillery, the potatoes are distilled. Approximately seven pounds of potatoes goes into every bottle of vodka.

Chopin’s master distiller Waldemar Durakiewicz knows every step of the distilling process, from steaming the potatoes to what their ideal temperature is before adding enzymes and yeast. “Waldemar is a fascinating person,” Dorda says. Distilling “was his first job when he finished college, and he’s not looking towards retirement.” After the yeast and is added and everything is combined, the potatoes are moved to fermentation tanks, where alcohol is produced. From the tanks, the vodka is distilled — the processing which the alcohol is separated from the potato mash — in a large column. The leftover potatoes are collected by farmers who then use the food waste to feed their animals. “The other important aspect is that it’s a sustainable production,” Dorda says. “It’s always been this way — at least in this region.”

Watch the latest episode of Vendors to learn how Chopin Vodka creates its sustainable product as a family.