Channel Partner Spotlight:
Proof & Company, Hong Kong
Channel Partner Spotlight:
Proof & Company, Hong Kong
As a market, Hong Kong represents one of ecoSPIRITS’ success stories. Respected hotels, premium restaurants, and prestigious cocktail bars across the region showed early confidence in the sustainability benefits of the ecoTOTE format and were happy to explore a new and low waste way to distribute spirits.
This positive uptake was thanks to ecoSPIRITS’ licensed operator for the region, Proof & Company Hong Kong, who first introduced the closed loop system to its customers at the end of 2019. Proof & Company is one of Asia Pacific’s leading independent spirits companies with a dedicated office in Hong Kong, among other destinations in Asia. It has close to 300 customers in Hong Kong and more than half of these now take delivery of spirits in ecoTOTE format.
From its spirits portfolio, Proof & Company delivers all the True Believers spirits brands that are available in ecoTOTE format to venues across Hong Kong. This includes the Destilado de Agave brands (La Travesia and Los Arcos), Mackintosh Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, Tried & True Vodka and Widges London Dry Gin. Proof & Company also distributes Planteray 3 Stars Rum, Planteray Original Dark Rum, and locally produced gins from Hong Kong’s N.I.P Distillery.
Proof & Company is committed to supporting local craft and quality products, and N.I.P Gin is no exception to this. In fact, the relationship between Proof & Company and N.I.P in Hong Kong goes even further than offering customers the producer’s gins in ecoSPIRITS’ sustainable format. N.I.P. also supports Proof & Company in Hong Kong as the co-packer for all the spirits Proof delivers in ecoTOTE format.
A bit more about N.I.P...
N.I.P Distilling is a Hong Kong based spirit and gin distillery, which was founded in 2019. It is the region’s first licensed craft gin distillery, and it was set up by co-founders Nic Law and Jeremy Li, who set out to pursue their passion of creating the first true Hong Kong gin that marries the genuine flavours of the region with the traditional techniques of gin distillation.
The producer’s flagship gin N.I.P Rare Dry Gin is available in ecoTOTE format and is made using more than 21 botanicals, all carefully selected to play tribute to the company’s Hong Kong heritage. The distiller also produces other speciality gins – including a series of products which celebrate the use of Chinese tea – as well as limited-edition and collaboration gins. More recently the distillery has extended into other spirits, such as the Asian drink, Umeshu.
By working with Proof & Company to offer venues a selection of spirits in the low waste ecoTOTE format, N.I.P acts as a co-packer, which effectively replaces the need for a bottling partner. Spirits arrive at N.I.P’s facility in bulk, where they are taken to the on-site dedicated ecoPLANT No. 51 to fill ecoTOTEs. The team at N.I.P look after the filling process and once filled, the ecoTOTEs are stored at Royal International Couriers. When ready, the full ecoTOTEs are delivered to bars and when empty they are returned to the ecoPLANT for cleaning and refilling.
Where are the ecoTOTEs delivered to?
Hong Kong has some excellent hospitality outlets, and the region boasts an enviable proportion of Asia’s 50 Best Bars and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Hong Kong-based resorts from some of the world’s best known hotel brands – such as JW Marriot, Rosewood, Four Seasons, and Hyatt – all take delivery of spirits in ecoTOTE from Proof & Company, while environmentally-focused and creative cocktail bars – such as Penicillin, 28 HongKong Street, Dead Poets, and Blotto – are also regional pioneers of the low waste format.
The Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
This premium five-star resort is home to 11 different dining and drinking destinations, including the Waterfall bar, which takes several spirits in ecoTOTE format. The bar even has a section of its drinks menu dedicated to low waste cocktails, all made using spirits delivered in ecoTOTE along with discarded fruit peels, zests and juices. These cocktails have exotic names such as Shrooms Baby!, OG Pineapple Bun, Eco-Melon-tastic and Papya/Pepaya.
The Upper House
Another proud partner of Proof & Company in Hong Kong is The Upper House, a luxury and wellness private residence-style hotel, which has a big focus on sustainability. The House wants to create experiences that not only look and feel good but also have a positive impact on the world. As well as taking delivery of ecoTOTEs, the venue actively works on energy conservation, waste management and water conservation. Its Green Kitchen initiative is a collaborative, group-wide effort to ensure its kitchens and restaurant spaces are designed to run as sustainably as possible.
Adrian Chung, General Manager, Proof & Company Hong Kong SAR
“We work with some exceptional hospitality venues in Hong Kong, and not only do they offer high quality products and experiences, but many are also committed to minimising waste and reducing their carbon footprint by focusing on recycling and reuse systems, such as ecoSPIRITS’ packaging solution. We are grateful to our friends at N.I.P Distilling, who are working with us to ensure we can deliver spirits to these venues in a sustainable way, by filling and refilling ecoTOTEs.”
Jeremy Li, Co-founder, N.I.P Distilling
“Our company was created with passion and determination, and we see these qualities in both Proof & Company and ecoSPIRITS, so it has been a pleasure to be able to combine forces to offer premium spirits in a sustainable way for Hong Kong’s hospitality sector. N.I.P is focused on traditional techniques and using classic and local botanicals, but as a co-packer for ecoSPIRITS we can also demonstrate that we are a young, agile, and forward-thinking company.”
Paul Gabie, CEO, ecoSPIRITS
“Hong Kong was one of the first markets to take delivery of spirits in ecoTOTE format and we are delighted with the number and quality of venues that believe in our closed loop system, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Proof & Company team in Hong Kong. As a local and craft spirits business, N.I.P Distilling is ideal as a co-packer for ecoSPIRITS for the region.”