COPENHAGEN 1 March 2023 ecoSPIRITS is to launch in Denmark, appointing one of the country’s leading independent spirits distributors, Local Spirits, as its Licensed Operator for the country. ecoSPIRITS Denmark will bring closed loop spirits to the Danish market, with venues in Copenhagen among the first in the country to receive closed loop spirits service. A range of Local Spirits’ spirit brands will be available in low waste ecoTOTE™ format by this summer, to be joined later in the year by other spirits producers participating in the ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program. This partnership paves the way for the expansion of closed loop service across Scandinavia, alongside its recently launched neighbour, ecoSPIRITS Norway, and it builds on Denmark’s position as the greenest country in the world in 2022, according to the Environmental Performance Index (EPI).
Venues in Copenhagen will be among the first in Denmark to receive spirits brands in ecoTOTE format.
Local Spirits is a Danish drinks company, which distributes predominantly local and organic spirits to the on and off-trade sectors. The company was founded in 2016 by the entrepreneurs behind some of the country’s most popular craft spirits, including Skotlander Rum, Herbie Gin and Den Klodsede Bjorn Vodka. Local Spirits now sells and distributes more than 300 products from 25 different Danish producers, as well as a few international craft brands. Local Spirits is focused on sustainable products and practices, and partnering with ecoSPIRITS represents the latest stage of its sustainability journey. The company makes an effort to work with producers who are respectful of the environment, particularly those which use local or organic ingredients. Currently around 40% of its portfolio is certified as organic.
Great Dane Rum and Bay Boy Coffee Liqueur will be two of the first brands in ecoTOTE format in Denmark.
Denmark, which has a population of around 5.8 million people, is made up of the Jutland Peninsular and more than 400 islands in the North Sea. The largest of the islands is Zealand, where the country’s capital Copenhagen is located, while the second largest city, Aarhus, is Jutland’s major urban centre. Copenhagen is also Denmark’s foodie capital and is a city known for its Michelin stars. ecoSPIRITS Denmark will initially launch in Copenhagen, where most of Local Spirits’ activity currently takes place. The first brands to go into ecoTOTE will be Bad Company Spirits’ Bad Boy Coffee Liqueur, Bad Dog Orange Liqueur, Lemon Says Hello Limoncello; Local Spirits Distilled Vodka and Local Spirits Distilled Gin; Great Dane Rum, and Ellenor Elderflower Liqueur.
Bad Company Spirits
Bad Company Spirits is a Danish producer of niche spirits, including the organic Bad Boy Coffee Liqueur, Bad Dog Orange Liqueur and Lemon Says Hello Limoncello. Bad Boy Coffee Liqueur is made from cold brew coffee to extract a more concentrated and less bitter taste. Bad Dog Orange Liqueur is the first orange liqueur made in Denmark.
Local Spirits Distilled
This collection includes an organic gin and an organic vodka. The former is a handmade organic Danish gin, made using organic botanicals including lemon peel, coriander seeds, liquorice root, and juniper berries. The handmade organic vodka is a wheat-based alcohol made using double-filtered water to create a smooth and silky spirit.
Great Dane Rum
This rum is an exclusive blend of rums from selected distilleries in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Jamaica and Panama. First, the rum is distilled and stored in ex-bourbon casks in a tropical climate. After arriving in Denmark, with its much cooler climate, the rum is given a cask finish in vessels previously used by the award-winning Danish Skotlander Rum.
Ellenor
Ellenor is an organic elderflower liqueur, which offers an intense flavour of aromatic elderflowers and fresh lemons. Ellenor was created in partnership with mixologist Hasse Johansen from the cocktail bar St Paul’s Aphotek in Aarhus, Denmark. This award-winning spirit can be enjoyed neat over ice or as a base for cocktails.
The Danish government aims to make Denmark a green front-runner in global climate action to inspire and encourage the rest of the world. Its government has introduced a binding Climate Act with a national target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% below 1990 levels by 2030, and climate neutrality by 2050. This – and other efforts – helped Denmark rank first in the Environmental Performance Index 2022. Companies from all around the world are looking to Denmark for inspiration, with respect to its environmental achievements. Denmark has the world’s leading Deposit and Return System, which ensures the recycling of disposable beverage packaging made of plastic, aluminium and glass. Currently, more than 2.2 billion bottles and cans are handled by the system annually, and with a population of 5.8 million, this equates to every Dane depositing a bottle or can daily. The system does not include bottles and packaging for spirits and the ecoSPIRITS technology is therefore a perfect fit with the Danish market.
Denmark is considered the greenest country in the world and wants to be a green front–runner in global climate action.
Under this latest ecoSPIRITS Licensed Operator partnership, ecoPLANT No. 037 will be commissioned in Copenhagen, starting this month, and ecoSPIRITS closed loop service is set to commence in May, starting with bars, restaurants, and hotels in Copenhagen. Denmark will also participate in the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program, planting one tree for every ecoTOTE delivered to hospitality venues.
Martin Damgaard, Co-founder and CEO of Local Spirits
“For several years now, we have been pioneering the use of spirits in bulk format to bars and restaurants. For us this has been a way to reduce the waste from single use glass, but it has also given us an opportunity to reduce the price of locally produced and organic products by removing the bottle and bottling costs. Partnering with ecoSPIRITS is a natural progression for the work we have done so far in exploring sustainable packaging and distribution solutions, and it will enable us to extend our reach and capacity. Our partner venues are very excited to take this next step in an even more sustainable direction with us.”
Iain McPherson, Sales Director, Europe
“At ecoSPIRITS we place a great deal of importance in building strong relationships and finding a partner that knows the market well, and we believe Local Spirits is the perfect fit. The company has a track record of working with – and supplying – some of the best venues and events in Denmark, and it’s clear that Anne, Martin and Jeppe have a great enthusiasm to bring the #nosingeuseglass revolution to the wines and spirits industry in Denmark. We can’t wait to get started!”
Bars, hotels, restaurants, distributors and brands that are interested in joining the ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program in Denmark can contact Iain McPherson, Sales Director for Europe at ecoSPIRITS on [email protected] or [email protected]. For more information about ecoSPIRITS you may contact Sonya Hook, ecoSPIRITS Senior PR Manager, on [email protected].
About Local Spirits
Local Spirits was founded in 2016 under the name Nordic Spirits. The company was founded by a number of the first small independent spirits producers in Denmark such as Skotlander Rum, Herbie Gin and Den Klodsede Bjørn Vodka with the aim of creating a distribution platform for the Danish micro-producers. Local Spirits currently sells over 300 products from 25 different Danish producers. In addition to specialist shops, our customers include restaurants, bars, festivals and hotels, including many of Denmark’s most high-profile brands such as the Roskilde Festival, the Guldsmeden hotels and Villa Copenhagen. Ever since our foundation, we have had an ambition to help promote ecology to our growing number of eco-focused customers. Through our close collaboration with Roskilde Festival and the 100% organic hotel chain Guldsmeden Hotels, we have sought to make local organic products part of the core of our business.
For information, please visit www.localspirits.dk
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 15 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. More than 1,500 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 to grow to 25 countries worldwide by early 2023. 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 information, please visit www.ecospirits.global