ecoSPIRITS and Green Steps Group Expand ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program
ZANZIBAR 28 December 2023 ecoSPIRITS has extended its partnership with eco-tech sustainability and nature-based solutions pioneer, Green Steps Group, to expand the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program. This initiative, which was first announced in July 2021, is aimed at island nations most at risk from rising sea levels due to climate change. Venues in these island nations are now taking delivery of spirits in special blue Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTE™ 3.0S. The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program complements the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program, first introduced in May 2020 to further offset the carbon impact of beverage operations at leading hotels, bars, and restaurants across the world. The impact programs allow ecoSPIRITS and its partner venues, spirit brands and distributors to deepen their commitment to sustainability and positive environmental impact for the beverage industry.
Several brands are being deployed in blue Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTEs including: Lazy Dodo Rum (Mauritius); Candela Mamajuana (Dominican Republic); Goslings (Bermuda); FAIR Kumquat Liqueur (Cayman Islands); and Takamaka Rum (Seychelles).
Each order of an ecoTOTE placed by venue partners in participating island nations funds the removal of one kilogram of single use plastic, glass, and other man-made waste from endangered marine environments. The Oceans Program – complemented by the striking blue Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTE – has been established to draw attention to ocean pollution and the impact that CO2 emissions are having on sea levels, and the severe threat these issues pose to human and animal life on island nations worldwide. Using Green Steps Group’s proprietary “proof of impact” technology platform, recovered ocean waste is photographed, weighed, and logged for each venue with real-time map visibility.
Ocean waste is photographed, weighed and logged for each venue.
Green Steps Group’s climate-tech platform helps ecoSPIRITS and its partner brands and venues assess their environmental impact. The unique online platform verifies that each and every tree is planted and that every kilogram of plastic recovered from the ocean is measured and tracked. The system displays impact information in geo-tagged map format, allowing venues to share their impact progress with their target audiences. As part of the partnership, Green Steps Group has created customised ‘Impact Dashboards’ for the two ecoSPIRITS impact programs.
Green Steps Group’s unique eco-tech platform includes a geo-tagged, map-based display interface.
The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program’s beach cleanups currently take place in Zanzibar, an island archipelago off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa. Working with local village cooperatives, the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program offers meaningful employment opportunities to residents of low-income areas, creating social uplift and environmental regeneration. Through regular clean-up initiatives, the local community benefits from consistent remuneration and training on conservatorship of natural resources. The program may be extended to include other clean-up locations soon.
The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program offers employment opportunities to local communities.
Bermuda was the first island nation to participate in the Program.
Roy Fellowes, Founder of Bermuda Gin Co
“We would like to thank the many Bermuda hospitality venues who embraced the ecoSPIRITS mission to eliminate single use glass bottles and are now receiving spirits in the beautiful blue Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTEs. Together we are reducing carbon emissions and packaging waste in the distribution of spirits and removing plastic, glass and other man-made waste from ocean waters. A sincere thanks also to Goslings, who agreed to put their delicious rums into the circular ecoTOTE format and work with us on ecoSPIRITS Bermuda operations.”
Other ecoSPIRITS island markets now taking deployment of Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTEs now include the Seychelles, the Dominican Republic, the Cayman Islands, and Mauritius. These island nations are also at risk from rising sea levels and climate change, with some now emerging as world leaders in protecting land and waters for threatened species. The Seychelles, for example, has now designated 42% of its territory for conservation. In total, venues in these island nations that are part of the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program have helped with the recovery of more than 7,000 kg of ocean waste to date.
The Oceans Program helps to regenerate endangered marine ecosystems.
ecoSPIRITS recently joined forces with Bacardi Limited and Carnival Cruise Line in a partnership to deploy Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTEs containing Carnival’s house pour rum (BACARDÍ Superior rum) to three of Carnival’s ships operating from the Port of Miami in Florida. As part of this pilot collaboration, the partners are funding the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program to remove one kilogram of waste for every ecoTOTE of Bacardi Superior Rum delivered to Carnival Cruise Line vessels.
Three Carnival Cruise Line ships are taking BACARDÍ Superior rum in Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTEs.
Guy Cawood, Founder, Green Steps Group
“It is a privilege to be a partner of ecoSPIRITS in their circular journey and creating positively regenerative products. Whether it be through creating positive environmental impact through recovering ocean-bound waste or recovering directly from the ocean, we seek action in the right areas and support the local communities while regenerating our amazing beaches and diverse marine life.”
Sui Ling Cheah, Executive Board Chair, ecoSPIRITS
Sui Ling Cheah, Executive Board Chair, ecoSPIRITS, said: “The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program offers something different for our island markets, many of which are seeing the immediate impact of rising sea levels and have a particular focus on the protection of marine environments. We are grateful to Green Steps Group for helping create the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program, so that we can jointly help venues with their ocean conservation efforts. The two ecoSPIRITS impact programs remain very popular with our brands, distributors, and venue partners.”
ecoSPIRITS offers its Climate Partners two impact programs: the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program and the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program. The latter was set up to help ecoSPIRITS’ partner venues generate additional carbon mitigation beyond the substantial carbon footprint reduction from their use of low-waste, low-carbon spirits. Under the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program, one tree is planted for each cycle of an ecoTOTE through the ecoSPIRITS closed loop distribution platform. Every tree planted is geo-tagged and photographed in the name of the partner venue. Since the program’s launch in 2020, more than 44,000 trees have been planted, effectively mitigating more than 97,000 kg of CO2e annually in carbon emissions. This collaborative effort has also created 12,947 hours of community engagement, with 47% of engagement and employment opportunities going to female workers.
For media inquiries or general information on ecoSPIRITS, you may contact Sonya Hook, Senior PR Manager at [email protected]
About Green Steps Group
Green Steps Group is a global eco-tech sustainability pioneer on a mission to rewild the planet. We empower businesses and institutions with management, governance, verification, and visibility to integrate positive environmental impact into their products and services. We verify, integrate and amplify bespoke nature-based solutions, using our unique proprietary technology with proof of impact, geotagging, and real-time map visibility. Every tree counts, so we count every tree. Our advanced eco-tech platform verifies that each and every tree is planted. Whether it is tracking the planting of individual trees in reforestation projects or monitoring ocean waste recovery projects at a kilogram-by-kilogram level, we integrate sustainability into your company’s DNA and verify your CO2 offset and its impact. We showcase your environmental impact, community upliftment, and biodiversity regeneration aligning with the UN’s sustainable development goals for 2030. We transform data into powerful stories with compelling visuals for your brand’s communication and marketing. Immerse in our tech-enabled impact solutions, unveiling the climate-conscious Reforestation/Ocean and River Waste Recovery Programmes and empower clients in this transformative journey where impact is verified, visible, tangible and immediate. Passionate about building a future, Green Steps offers innovative solutions that drive real change.
For more information on Green Steps Group, please visit www.greenstepsgroup.com.
About ecoSPIRITS
ecoSPIRITS is a circular economy technology company that has developed the world’s first low carbon, low waste distribution technology for premium spirits and wine. Our patent-pending closed loop system nearly eliminates all packaging waste in the supply chain. By dramatically reducing packaging and transport, ecoSPIRITS provides both a powerful cost advantage and a transformative carbon footprint reduction. Founded in Singapore in 2018, the ecoSPIRITS technology is now available in more than 23 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. More than 2,000 leading bars, restaurants, hotels and retailers have adopted the technology, including Michelin-starred restaurants, World’s 50 Best and Asia’s 50 Best bars and iconic hotels. ecoSPIRITS is now rapidly building a global network of closed loop service, with coverage to grow to 27 countries worldwide by early 2023. Together with our brand partners, importers, distributors, wholesalers, venues, and retailers, we are already making a difference. Each year, ecoSPIRITS and our partners are eliminating hundreds of tons of single use glass waste, planting tens of thousands of trees, and inspiring others to change.
For more information, visit: https://ecospirits.global.
ecoSPIRITS and La Maison du Whisky Launch Circular Retail Concept for Premium Spirits in France
PARIS 15 December 2023 ecoSPIRITS France and La Maison du Whisky (LMDW) have launched a new circular retail initiative in France, offering a spirits refill solution for premium and exclusive spirits within the retail sector. This new initiative, marking the first time the ecoSPIRITS closed loop technology has been made available to retailers in Europe, has initially been introduced in select LMDW-owned retail outlets in the Paris region. It will later be made available to more than 100 spirits retail outlets supplied by LMDW across the country, before being offered to other off-trade retailers in France from early 2024. The programme features limited-edition spirit brands which have been produced specifically for the collaboration and which cannot be purchased in a traditional glass bottle format. The refill solution was developed in response to France’s anti-waste law ‘Loi AGEC’, which requires products to be accompanied by information about their sustainability and circularity.
Spirits are dispensed in-store to consumers via SmartPour 2.0S technology, with three bottles sizes to choose from.
The spirits will be delivered to the retailers in ecoTOTE™ format and dispensed in-store to consumers via SmartPour™ 2.0S technology. The units have been produced in a bronze colour to reflect the appearance of a copper pot still, specifically for the retail sector. Consumers can choose from three sizes of specially-branded reusable bottles: a 20CL tester size, 50CL or 70CL. They are encouraged to fill their own bottles with their chosen spirit directly from the SmartPour, and attach a label and bottle cap to complete the purchase. The wooden bottle cap is screen-printed with the ecoSPIRITS logo.
Consumers fill their own bottles directly from the SmartPour and attach a label and bottle seal.
The initial spirits taking part in this project are: Compass Box Synthesis (Blended Scotch Whisky), Christian Drouin Verger Sauvage gin, Renegade Hope rhum agricole, and Amorik single malt whisky. These have all been produced in small batches specifically for this project and when stocks run out, they will be replaced by new special release spirits, including seasonal variants.
The Retail Program Lineup
Compass Box Synthesis
The result of blending two single grain whiskies and two single malts from the Highlands and Speyside areas of Scotland. The blend evolves on the palate, with peat becoming more prominent, while herbaceous and fruity tones are also present.
Christian Drouin Verger Sauvage
A distilled gin from France, which has been inspired by a cider apple orchard. This natural, verdant environment is a world which led to the creation of Christian Drouin’s ‘Verger Sauvage”, made from apples, quinces and a wide variety of wildflowers.
Renegade Hope
This Rhum Agricole is made from pure sugarcane juice. It is a small batch blend of pot-still rums which is aged for 18 months in three different casks, new American oak, American first fill oak and French first fill oak. The flavours evolve elegantly, highlighting the controlled ageing process.
Amorik
Amorik Single Malt Whisky was created exclusively for LMDW at the brand’s Warenghem distillery, known for being a pioneering whisky-making site in France. This Spanish oak-aged Amorik ventures into bitter, fruity, malty, spicy and intensely chocolatey flavours.
Constance Moreau-Luchaire, Senior Marketing Manager & Project Management Officer, La Maison du Whisky
“In a retail setting, ecoSPIRITS will enable the offering of bulk spirits while placing at the core of the process: eco-responsibility, experimental elements, and very high-quality spirit in small batches.”
Iain McPherson, Sales Director, EMEA, ecoSPIRITS
“I am thrilled to see the launch of this retail campaign, which will provide discerning consumers across France the opportunity to purchase wonderful products and contribute to the circular economy. LMDW has worked with hundreds of on-trade venues in France to help them adopt ecoSPIRITS’ closed loop technology. And now, thanks to its hard work, the company – together with the ecoSPIRITS Product team – has developed a smart solution for the retail sector, which I am sure will intrigue and inspire customers across the country.”
The France retail collaboration forms part of ecoSPIRITS’ ongoing trials of circular solutions for the off-premise in the spirits industry. It follows the development of the SmartKiosk, which is an intelligent retail system, designed to tackle single use glass waste from at-home spirits consumption. The SmartKiosk, which is currently featuring in a pilot project in CS Fresh supermarket outlets in Singapore, allows consumers to securely refill spirits bottles in retail environments.
For more information about ecoSPIRITS in France, please contact [email protected] or contact Iain McPherson, ecoSPIRITS Sales Director for EMEA, on [email protected]. For media enquiries or general information on ecoSPIRITS, you may contact Sonya Hook, Senior PR Manager at [email protected].
About La Maison du Whisky
Founded in 1956 by Georges Bénitah, La Maison du Whisky has long been a market leader in fine spirits. With more than 200 employees, LMDW’s expertise spans spirits import and distribution, rare spirits collection, sourcing and discovery, events management and publishing. Their event, ‘Whisky Live’ is the world’s premium whisky show, hosted each year in Paris and other cities around the world. These broad capabilities will strengthen the ecoSPIRITS France platform and help drive scale in circular spirits in one of the world’s largest spirits markets.
For more information, please visit: www.lmdw.com.
About ecoSPIRITS
ecoSPIRITS is a circular economy technology company that has developed the world’s first low carbon, low waste distribution technology for premium spirits and wine. Our patent-pending closed loop system nearly eliminates all packaging waste in the supply chain. By dramatically reducing packaging and transport, ecoSPIRITS provides a transformative carbon footprint reduction. Founded in Singapore in 2018, the ecoSPIRITS technology is now available in more than 23 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. More than 2,000 leading bars, restaurants, hotels and retailers have adopted the technology, including Michelin-starred restaurants, World’s 50 Best and Asia’s 50 Best bars and iconic hotels. ecoSPIRITS is now rapidly building a global network of closed loop service, with coverage to grow to 27 countries worldwide by early 2024. Together with our brand partners, importers, distributors, wholesalers, venues, and retailers, we are already making a difference. Each year, ecoSPIRITS and our partners are eliminating hundreds of tons of single use glass waste, planting tens of thousands of trees, and inspiring others to change.
For more information, please visit: www.ecospirits.global.
ecoSPIRITS Accelerates USA Expansion with Distributor Breakthru Beverage Group
MIAMI 6 December 2023 ecoSPIRITS USA has announced that Breakthru Beverage Group, one of the largest North American beverage alcohol distributors, has joined the ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program as an Official Distributor Partner. Breakthru distributes a diverse portfolio of brands across many territories in both the United States and Canada and it already has spirits brands ready to be deployed in ecoTOTE format in Florida, followed by California in the coming months. The partnership will also accelerate ecoSPIRITS USA’s expansion in the state, bringing new brand partners, venues and distribution resources to the circular economy.
The premium spirit brands Coconut Cartel rum and Barr Hill Gin will be the first from Breakthru’s portfolio to be distributed in ecoTOTE format to venues in Florida.
The United States is known for its three-tier system – comprising of producers, distributors and retailers – for distributing alcoholic beverages, which was set up after the repeal of Prohibition. The three-tier system mandates that producers can sell their products only to wholesale distributors who then sell to retailers (and bars and restaurants), and only the latter group can sell to consumers. Distributors therefore play an essential role in the market, and while they have no involvement in manufacturing, they act as the representatives of the brand and supplier in determining their route to market. There are around 4,000 beverage alcohol distributors in the United States, with the 10 largest controlling more than 72% of the market between them. The largest multi-state distributors – such as Breakthru – differ from each other by offering a combination of size, service and portfolio.
The state of Florida has the second largest market for beverage alcohol in the United States.
Breakthru is a family-owned and operated beverage alcohol wholesaler and is one of the top three alcohol beverage distributors in the United States. It has a diverse portfolio of more than 6,000 wine, spirits and beer brands from many of the industry’s leading suppliers. The company, which is headquartered in New York, operates in 45 facilities across North America – including Canada and 16 U.S. states such as Florida, California, Arizona and Illinois – and has more than 9,000 employees. Breakthru will begin by distributing premium rum brand Coconut Cartel and the award-winning, super premium Barr Hill Gin in ecoTOTE format to venues in Florida. The state has the second largest beverage alcohol markets in the United States, with more than 23 million 9-liter cases consumed in 2022. Other Breakthru brands will be made available in ecoTOTE format in the coming months.
Will Fulghom, Region President East US, Breakthru Beverage Group
“Breakthru is very excited to work with ecoSPIRITS as a pioneering distributor partner and reduce our single-use packaging in the Florida market. While it is up to all of us to protect our planet, we as distributors have a special responsibility to work with our supplier and customer partners to undertake such eco-friendly efforts across the industry. We are proud to work with Coconut Cartel and Barr Hill Gin on this climate-friendly venture.”
Coconut Cartel is a 100% pure Guatemalan añejo rum cut to proof with coconut water. The rum, which was first launched in 2012, is aged in new, charred American white oak barrels for four to 12 years, and cut to 80 proof with freshly harvested coconut water. It has tropical aromas of fresh coconut with hints of banana, mango and vanilla, and upon tasting, there are notes of plantain, caramel, sandalwood and burnt brown sugar.
Coconut Cartel is made from rum aged in new, charred American oak barrels, which is then cut to 80 proof with coconut water.
Mike Zig, Co-Founder, Coconut Cartel
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to be better and grow our brand with visionary partners like ecoSPIRITS and Breakthru. As an emerging brand, we are nimble and therefore we can quickly activate innovations such as ecoSPIRITS’ sustainable packaging technology and we hope to inspire more brands to join the movement to help eliminate single use glass waste in the spirits and wine industry.”
Barr Hill Gin is made using organic juniper and is finished with raw honey from the local area in Montpelier, Vermont. The gin is one of the most awarded gins in the U.S. The honey adds a light sweetness to the gin, which also has hints of vanilla, clove and cayenne.
The multi award-winning Barr Hill Gin is finished with raw honey from Montpelier, Vermont.
Ryan Christiansen, Co-founder and President, Barr Hill Gin
“We’ve been cheering on the team at ecoSPIRITS, as they pioneer the enormous effort of eliminating single use packaging from the spirits industry. We’re honored to be invited to be a part of this important mission, and couldn’t be more excited to see Breakthru Beverage step up to the plate on behalf of our planet.”
Zdenek Kastanek, Managing Director, ecoSPIRITS USA
“At ecoSPIRITS, we are excited to have one of the national leaders in beverage distribution joining our efforts in transitioning the industry to circularity. With ecoSPIRITS’ technology integrating into Breakthru’s distribution network there will be a significant reduction in single use packaging ending up in the landfills of southern Florida or in carbon-intensive recycling facilities. The impact we can achieve together is exciting.”
Jessica Berry, Sales Director, North America, ecoSPIRITS
“I am thrilled to be taking my long-term working partnership with Breakthru to the next level and revolutionize the industry for a more green and sustainable future. Breakthru Beverage Group’s commitment to bringing closed loop packaging on board is sending a strong message that change is not only needed but it is possible, and easier than people think. I am proud to see the leadership at Breakthru commit to what we can do today for a better tomorrow.”
To find out more information about opportunities to partner with ecoSPIRITS in America, please contact Jessica Berry at [email protected]. For media inquiries or general information on ecoSPIRITS, you may contact Sonya Hook, Senior PR Manager at [email protected].
About Breakthru Beverage Group
Breakthru Beverage Group is one of the leading alcohol wholesalers in the United States and the largest broker in Canada representing a full total beverage alcohol portfolio of spirits, wine and beer. Breakthru is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and supports a wide range of notable organizations as well as local charitable initiatives across its North American footprint. Across all markets, Breakthru aligns a nimble and insightful approach to sales, marketing and operations. Family ownership is active in the business and committed to being stewards of heritage and champions of innovation.
For more information, visit www.breakthrubev.com.
About Coconut Cartel
Coconut Cartel’s quality comes from decades of craftsmanship, fermentation and distilling methods, and a world-class aging house in Guatemala. Its innovation, however, is in the proprietary proofing process: Coconut Cartel’s rum distillate is aged in new, charred American White oak for up to 12 years. Instead of using filtered water to bring the cask strength rum down to bottle proof (40% ABV), fresh, locally sourced coconut water is used as the proofing agent. The natural minerals, sugars and salts found in coconut water smoothen the blend and add a unique viscosity to the rum, making it incredibly smooth and refreshing to sip. Coconut Cartel Special combines traditional, old school rum artistry and new school innovation. The result is truly one-of-a-kind rum that appeals to a wide spectrum of consumers.
For more information visit: www.coconutcartel.com.
About Barr Hill Gin
Barr Hill Gin is the producer’s odd to the hardworking bees of the Northeast. The juniper-forward botanicals are brought to a perfect balance by the floral depth of the raw honey. The results are distinctive and unparalleled. Barr Hill Gin is distilled once in our custom-built botanical extraction still with hand-crushed, organic juniper, and then finished with raw honey from our region. The raw honey contributes botanical depth from the countless wildflowers foraged by the bees. How do we extract such complexity from simple raw materials? Our secrets are kept in the hive.
For more information, visit: www.barrhill.com.
About ecoSPIRITS
ecoSPIRITS is a circular economy technology company that has developed the world’s first low carbon, low waste distribution technology for premium spirits and wine. Our patent-pending closed loop system nearly eliminates all packaging waste in the supply chain. By dramatically reducing packaging and transport, ecoSPIRITS provides both a powerful cost advantage and a transformative carbon footprint reduction. Founded in Singapore in 2018, the ecoSPIRITS technology is now available in more than 23 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. More than 2,000 leading bars, restaurants, hotels and retailers have adopted the technology, including Michelin-starred restaurants, World’s 50 Best and Asia’s 50 Best bars and iconic hotels. ecoSPIRITS is now rapidly building a global network of closed loop service, with coverage to grow to 27 countries worldwide by early 2024. Together with our brand partners, importers, distributors, wholesalers, venues, and retailers, we are already making a difference. Each year, ecoSPIRITS and our partners are eliminating hundreds of tons of single use glass waste, planting tens of thousands of trees, and inspiring others to change.
For more information, visit: https://ecospirits.global.