GEORGE TOWN 28 June 2022 ecoSPIRITS announced today the launch of closed loop service in the Cayman Islands under a Licensed Operator Agreement with Agua Hospitality Group, one of the islands’ leading hospitality operators. ecoSPIRITS Cayman Islands marks the arrival of closed loop spirits in ecoSPIRITS’ third island market, following launches earlier this year in Bermuda and the Seychelles. As part of the collaboration, Agua Hospitality Group will commence distribution of an exclusive portfolio of craft spirits, starting with True Believers brands. ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner brands Tried & True Vodka, Mackintosh Blended Malt Scotch, Los Arcos Destilado de Agave and Widges Gin will be will be available ecoTOTE™ format across the island from early July.
The Cayman Islands, comprised of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac, is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and home to a population of 65,000. A Caribbean pioneer in conservation, the Cayman Islands established marine park systems over 25 years ago, designating approximately 48% of its coastal waters as no-take zones to protect local marine life. One success is the remarkable turnaround of Cayman’s Nassau grouper, critically endangered by overfishing. Alongside financial services, tourism represent the Cayman Islands’ “twin pillars of economic development”, the latter accounting for 70% of GDP. Unspoiled beaches, duty-free shopping, scuba diving, and deep-sea fishing draw 2.3 million visitors yearly, including more than 1.8 million cruise passengers, mostly American nationals. At times, four or five large cruise ships will visit daily, depositing 10,000 cruise tourists at a time in George Town, all eager to experience Caymanian hospitality and delightful local foods and drinks.
Agua Hospitality Group is one of the Cayman Island’s most respected hospitality operators. Founded in 2009 with Agua Restaurant, which became one of the islands’ most successful restaurants, the group opened Next Door Cocktail Bar in August 2021 and quickly secured a nomination for Best New International Cocktail Bar for Tales of the Cocktail 2022. The group plans to open three additional venues in 2022: starting in September 2022 with Aria Restaurant, a Mediterranean concept, and Allora Bakery & Café, a casual restaurant serving pizzas, gelato, café food, bakery items, and then a rooftop cocktail bar with ocean views and a party vibe in December 2022.
“Never had I thought there would be an opportunity for the hospitality and spirits industries to become a major sustainability player by reducing carbon emissions and eliminating single use glass – but this is exactly what ecoSPIRITS is doing globally. Here in the Cayman Islands, rising sea levels are impacting mangrove and marine life and single use packaging is contributing to landfill waste that burdens our limited landmass. The ecoSPIRITS closed loop technology provides a unique, sustainable solution by reducing CO2 emissions and landfill – as single use glass bottles don’t even arrive onshore. This is a huge step forward, something we are extremely proud to be a part of.”
“As we welcome the third island market to our global network, we are extremely proud to announce this partnership with Agua Hospitality Group, which will showcase their acclaimed bars and restaurants, their commitment to sustainable practices and our shared vision of positive local impact. With ecoSPIRITS’ global platform, we can support the Agua Hospitality Group partners’ work to reduce carbon emissions and have a positive impact on the local environment. There is nothing more exciting that to help bring the circular economy to natural treasures like the Cayman Islands.”
As part of the new partnership, Agua Hospitality Group has set up a dedicated production and warehouse facility in George Town to host and operate ecoPLANT No. 027, the first ecoPLANT in the Caribbean region. Centrally located on Grand Cayman, with convenient access to most of the island’s hospitality venues, ecoPLANT No. 027 will be operated by Agua Hospitality Group staff who are trained and supported by ecoSPIRITS’ operations engineering team. Like Bermuda and the Seychelles, ecoSPIRITS Cayman Islands will join the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program, operating a fleet of blue Ocean Conservation edition ecoTOTEs and funding one kilogram of ocean waste recovery for each ecoTOTE delivered to bars, restaurants and hotels in the islands.
The first spirits to launch in ecoTOTE format in the Cayman Islands will come from True Believers, one of ecoSPIRITS’ most active brand partners. True Believers’ vision is to make quality, craft spirits affordable, while guaranteeing provenance with liquid from world class distillers. Committed to doing well by doing good, the True Believers brands are available across the ecoSPIRITS global closed loop network, with the Cayman Islands being the 11th market in the collaboration. Four True Believers spirits will be available in ecoTOTE format through ecoSPIRITS Cayman Islands: Tried & True Vodka, Widges Gin, Los Arcos Destilado de Agave and Mackintosh Blended Malt Scotch.
- 75.7% reduction
- 684g CO2e per bottle
Tried & True Vodka is distilled from organic soft winter wheat grown and milled in France. Proofed down to a cocktail appropriate 44% ABV using carefully filtered well water from the cognac region with zero additive policy.
- 75.6% reduction
- 780g CO2e per bottle
Widges London Dry Gin, 41.5% ABV, is distilled by one of the world’s most respected distilling teams, Maison Ferrand. They call upon their deep knowledge of juniper, gin and distillation to make this gin, developed by Jason ‘Widge’ Williams. The botanical mix brightens up cocktails and classic recipes.
- 80.0% reduction
- 553g CO2e per bottle
Los Arcos Destilado de Agave, 42.5% ABV, is made with only mature agave for a structured, full-flavoured profile, ideal for mixing and sipping, for those who appreciate traditional agave spirits. Distilled in the heart of Tequila with a commitment to sustainability and traditional methods.
- 74.3% reduction
- 730g CO2e per bottle
Mackintosh Blended Malt Whisky, 41% ABV, suitable for both cocktails and sipping, it is a blend of single malt whiskies from Highland and Speyside and married for six months in oloroso sherry cask. No grain whisky, no caramel, no chill filtering.
- 75.7% reduction
- 684g CO2e per bottle
Tried & True Vodka is distilled from organic soft winter wheat grown and milled in France. Proofed down to a cocktail appropriate 44% ABV using carefully filtered well water from the cognac region with zero additive policy.
- 75.6% reduction
- 780g CO2e per bottle
Widges London Dry Gin, 41.5% ABV, is distilled by one of the world’s most respected distilling teams, Maison Ferrand. They call upon their deep knowledge of juniper, gin and distillation to make this gin, developed by Jason ‘Widge’ Williams. The botanical mix brightens up cocktails and classic recipes.
- 80.0% reduction
- 553g CO2e per bottle
Los Arcos Destilado de Agave, 42.5% ABV, is made with only mature agave for a structured, full-flavoured profile, ideal for mixing and sipping, for those who appreciate traditional agave spirits. Distilled in the heart of Tequila with a commitment to sustainability and traditional methods.
- 74.3% reduction
- 730g CO2e per bottle
Mackintosh Blended Malt Whisky, 41% ABV, suitable for both cocktails and sipping, it is a blend of single malt whiskies from Highland and Speyside and married for six months in oloroso sherry cask. No grain whisky, no caramel, no chill filtering.
“True Believers is thrilled to be partnering with Agua Hospitality Group. The high calibre of their venues was a natural fit for our portfolio, and we are looking forward to working with the team to spread the gospel of quality, affordable, independent spirits to other venues across the Cayman Islands. Single use glass is a global problem, but even more so for island nations like the Caymans Islands. We are proud to be joining forces with both Agua Hospitality Group and ecoSPIRITS to begin tackling this issue locally.”
One of ecoSPIRITS Cayman Islands’ first venue partners will be the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, located on the world-famous Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. Opened in 2016, the Kimpton Seafire is the first ever AAA Five Diamond lifestyle resort on Grand Cayman and rated #1 in Best Cayman Islands Hotels by the U.S. News & World Report in 2022. The resort is home to 264 rooms and three dining outlets, all situated on an elevated perch above the sea and offering stunning views of turquoise waters and sun-bleached sands. As stewards of the environment, the Kimpton Seafire’s sustainability practices include funding the Seafire Guardians to protect and regenerate nearby coral reefs, a sustainability-forward design that includes turtle-friendly outdoor lighting, a ground-source geothermal air conditioning system, and rainwater harvesting.
“At Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by the beautiful beaches, clear blue sea, amazing flora, fauna and incredibly diverse sea life of the Cayman Islands. It’s massively important to us that we are both conscious and proactive in our efforts to maintain and sustain this environment, so we are fantastically excited to partner with ecoSPIRITS to help us reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible throughout the resort, as well as supporting and promoting the ocean conservation efforts.”
For more information about Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, please contact reservations@seafireresortandspa.com. For Agua Hospitality Group, please contact Agua Restaurant info@agua.ky or Next Door Cocktail Bar info@nextdoor.ky For information on True Believers and its spirits brands, please contact office@truthinspirits.com. Brands, bars, restaurants and hotels interested in joining the ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program in the Cayman Islands may contact Agua Hospitality Group via info@agua.ky or ecoSPIRITS via cayman@ecospirits.global.
About Agua Hospitality Group
Agua Hospitality Group was established in 2021 following extremely successful 12 years of Agua Restaurant. Twelve years ago, Italian owners Cristiano Vincentini and Walter Fajette established Agua Restaurant and Lounge to create a fresh and vibrant dining experience that avoided conventional Italian restaurant stereotypes. After relocating to Camana Bay’s breezy waterfront in 2018 and undergoing a menu refresh, this long-time favourite seafood restaurant continues to soar in popularity and innovation.
In 2021 with the recruitment of their Group General Manager, Wayne Epple, and the plans for major expansion in the group, they re-branded Agua into the “Agua Hospitality Group” and began expanding. Their next new venue was “Next Door”, a hotel inspired Cocktail Bar which focuses on local sustainable ingredients and local Caymanian bush medicine. In 2022, Next Door was awarded with the Tales of the Cocktail “Top 10 Honoree List” in the Best New International Cocktail bar category. With another 3 venues set to open late 2022, Agua Hospitality Group isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
For more information, please visit www.agua.ky
About Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa
Opened in 2021, Seafire was the first new hotel to be built on the Island of Grand Cayman in a decade, The Seafire Resort + Spa transcends the typical Caribbean resort by becoming the first boutique resort. Boundless open-air architecture features commanding views of the sea at every turn, unfolding to meandering gardens, countless unexpected sanctuaries, and convivial gathering spaces. Escape effortlessly into a sensory adventure of choice, all with memorable Caymanian flavour and warm Kimpton spirit. For enquiries, please contact Kimpton Communications via media@kimptongroup.com
For general information, please visit www.seafireresortandspa.com
About True Believers
Completely dedicated to craft values, intrinsic quality, authenticity, provenance and transparency, True Believers offer one product per major category such as vodka, gin, scotch, bourbon, tequila, and rum. Each liquid offers true quality and credibility with archetypal flavour profiles and designed to delight bartenders and consumers. Present in the most prestigious venues in the world, True Believers brands are the original launch partners for ecoSPIRITS closed loop spirits distribution technology, playing their role in fighting single use glass.
For more information, please visit www.truthinspirits.com
About The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program
The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program complements the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program for island nations that are most at risk from rising sea levels due to climate change. Highlighted by the striking blue Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTE, each order of an ecoTOTE by venue partners in participating islands nations funds the removal of one kilogram of single use plastic, glass and other man-made wastes from endangered coral reefs and waters. Using Green Steps Group’s proprietary “proof of impact” technology platform, cleanup operations are verified, monitored and reported through an industry-leading digital record. Ocean waste recovery benefits the venue partners and is jointly funded by ecoSPIRITS and our Climate Partner brands and distributors.
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 11 countries and 30 cities across Asia Pacific. Europe and the Americas. More 1,000 leading bars, restaurants and hotels 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 in 18 countries worldwide by mid-2022.
Together with our brand partners, importers, distributors, wholesalers and venues, we are already making a difference. Each year, ecoSPIRITS and our partners are eliminating thousands 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