Kat Nosal, '20: Brewing Joy Across Illinois
By Lia Kizilbash Gillet
Kat Nosal, '20, owner and operator of The Crawler Brewing Company, takes her mobile coffee business to communities across Illinois. (Photo: Kat Nosal)
Combining her passion for coffee and community, Kat Nosal, ’20, opened The Crawler Brewing Company, a mobile coffee trailer and coffee pop-up company.
Since 2020, Nosal has been sharing her love of coffee and community all over Illinois—and fulfilling her lifelong dream of owning a coffee shop.
“I’ve always associated coffee with family and community gatherings,” Nosal said. “I wanted to create a space for others to gather and enjoy great coffee.”
Growing up, Nosal remembers sitting on her grandparents’ covered patio listening to an old static radio while her grandfather sat on a high-top stool drinking coffee. The smell of coffee takes her back to moments like these—a time of joy and family connection.
“Coffee was more than a beverage in our home; it was a daily ritual,” Nosal said. “We’d drink it while playing cards at the dining room table, while greeting neighbors on the front porch, and while chatting with our parents before heading off to school. It was always there, grounding us!”
At a young age, Nosal snuck a sip of coffee and thought, “Oh, this is awful. Why do people drink this?” Despite this first impression, the taste grew on her. Eventually, she desired to perfect the craft. This inspired The Crawler Brewing Company’s tagline, “Life is too short for bad coffee,” and her commitment to sourcing high-quality beans from family-owned farms around the world. Nosal sources beans from countries including Brazil, Columbia, and Guatemala, and she is proud to work with partners who use sustainable farming practices and treat and pay their workers fairly.
“If you’re going to drink it every morning, it should be good!” Nosal said.
When Nosal first started, she had no background in the business side of the coffee industry and wasn’t sure where to begin. She had about six years of barista experience and ten years in the service industry, but getting started took a lot of research and learning. Her biggest challenge came when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, putting a pause on her plans to open a physical location.
“During the lockdown, I was inspired by essential workers in our community making deliveries directly to customers' cars, and thought, ‘Why not bring coffee to the community?’ That’s when the idea for my mobile coffee service took off.”
The Crawler is a name Nosal chose for a coffee shop when she was a child, and it became the theme for her traveling—or crawling—from town to town. Her sister, Kelly O'Sullivan, who has an art degree, worked with Nosal to design the coffee bag artwork. They were inspired by Nosal’s high school notebook doodles and incorporated elements to represent each coffee's country of origin. Choosing a name, logo and branding turned out to be the easiest part.
“I had to work out the logistics, partner with a third-party source to connect with farms around the world, and save up for a trailer, equipment and a pop-up tent,” she said. “My proudest accomplishment has been bringing my childhood dream to a reality and being able to share my craft with so many people. It warms my heart to hear customers say, ‘I’ve heard of you!’ or ‘I follow you on Instagram!’”
(Photo: The Crawler Brewing Company)
Nosal said NIU gave her the necessary tools to become an entrepreneur and leader.
“NIU significantly impacted me as a leader,” she said. “I learned critical thinking and creativity, allowing me to develop and execute my business idea. These are skills I use every day.”
While at Lincoln-Way West High School in New Lenox, Illinois, Nosal dreamed of attending NIU. She first attended Joliet Junior College for her associate degree and transferred to NIU. In 2020, Nosal earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. She recalls Phillip Krasula’s teaching.
“Dr. Krasula believed in me and my ideas, even during times I wasn’t feeling it,” Nosal said. “He made learning fun, which fostered my love for learning. My business has gotten involved a lot in our local schools within our community, inspiring the next generation of students. I feel like his love for learning was the inspiration for that!”
In 2022, Nosal partnered with the NIU Alumni Association to host a coffee-tasting event, “The Art and Science of Coffee Tasting.” She loves being actively involved in her community and extending her outreach and passion for coffee to other communities.
“It was The Crawler Brewing Company’s very first event,” Nosal said. “Since then, we’ve done a lot of events throughout Illinois, including Ottawa’s Chris Kringle Market, Utica’s Burgoo Festival, and various events through New Lenox’s Chamber of Commerce and Community Park District. We support philanthropic events and programs that raise awareness and money for veterans as well as raising money for New Lenox High Schools.”
Nosal may be in the coffee business, but she is also in the business of making memories. Whether her customers grab a cup to start the day, share good news with a group of friends, or order a bag of coffee online to serve at their next family gathering, she hopes her coffee can be a catalyst for bringing people together.
“Keep making memories,” she said. “I look back on mine with joy, even if it was just a cup of coffee with a late night of studying. I really enjoyed the memories I made at NIU, and I am confident that they helped me become the person and leader I am today.”