SoCal – Hall of Fame

Carl Nolet Jr., executive vice president of Nolet Spirits U.S.A., has held several positions of increasing authority within the family-owned company for more than 20 years. The eldest son of current owner and chairman, Carl Nolet Sr., he and his brother Bob, vice president marketing for the Nolet Group, are the 11th generation of Nolets to join the family business. They are both an integral part of the organization’s development in the 21st century and together will ultimately take over the family business.

In 1988, Nolet Jr. began working at the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, Holland,where he learned the different aspects of the production and distillation of spirits. Shortly after, Nolet Jr. traveled to the United States with his father to introduce Ketel One Vodka to the trade – a personal approach which contributed greatly to its success. Nolet Jr. continued working atthe Distillery and was appointed Sales Manager for the Dutch market in 1990.

In 1992, he moved to New York to further build the brand in the United States. His presence, business expertise and personal approach to fostering relationships with the trade led to Ketel One Vodka’s impressive growth in the U.S. market. Nolet Jr. was promoted to executive vice president of Nolet Spirits U.S.A. in 1996, and through 2008 managed the sales and distribution activities for Ketel One Vodka in North America.

He continues to provide leadership for the Ketel One brand and spearheads Nolet Spirits U.S.A.’s new product development and market introductions.

“My formative years at my family’s Distillery taught me to work hard, maintain balance and prepare for challenges,” said Nolet Jr. “I am proud of what the previous 10 generations of the Nolet family have done for the family business and look forward to the future as we pass the torch on to the next generation to make their own unique contributions to creating best-in-class-spirits.”

Nolet Jr. is an active supporter of Miracles for Kids, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

In addition to Miracles for Kids, Nolet Jr. is actively involved in Mission Hospital and Miocean, a non-profit foundation dedicated to protecting and improving Orange County’s 42-mile coastline by reducing urban run-off pollution.