OSLO 24 AUGUST 2021 ecoSPIRITS announced today that it has signed a Licensed Operator Agreement with Spirited Animals Group, a partnership which will launch closed loop spirits service in Norway in November 2021. ecoPLANT No. 022 will be sited in Oslo, bringing low-carbon, low-waste spirits to a country long known for its forward-thinking approach to sustainability and the environment.
Part of the Nordic Region, Norway is a highly developed economy and spirits market. Home to 5.4 million people, it is well known for mountains, glaciers and deep coastal fjords. The capital, Oslo, is a city of museums, green parks and a vibrant food and beverage scene. In recent years, Norway has joined the world cocktail community, with Oslo’s Himkok, listed regularly amongst the World’s 50 Best Bars, just one of numerous acclaimed venues. Rated as the world’s most sustainable country in 2020, Norway has made a national commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.
Nærøyfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Norway
Karl Johans Gate on Oslo's Main Street, Norway
The award-winning Himkok Bar, Oslo, Norway
Spirited Animals Group is a creative hospitality company working in beverage consulting, venue development, and distribution based in Oslo. Founded by Chris Grøtvedt and Barney Blichfeldt, the team has a strategy of working with leading brands and initiatives from around the world to help move Norway’s hospitality market towards the future. Grøtvedt has been a leading figure in the Norwegian hospitality industry for years, having brought THE THIEF five-star hotel onto the international cocktail map, launched Oslo Bar Show (now Norse Bar Show) in 2015 and through his work as the creative partner at *ISM Oslo. Blichfeldt has been a rising star in the import and distribution side of the industry in recent years. With a background in spirits and wine sales and import, as well as work as a beverage director, Blichfeldt brings extensive commercial and operational experience to the venture. With a creative mindset and entrepreneurial spirit, Spirited Animals Group are aiming to help put the Nordics on the international hospitality map.
Chris Grøtvedt, Director of Operations, Spirited Animals Group
“Oslo has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 95% by 2030. However, recycling is only 50% effective in reducing C02 emissions associated with glass use – and we are already recycling around 95% of glass here in Norway. We must change our strategy to reach our goals as a country. A new way of thinking is the only way forward. This is why ecoSPIRITS is so revolutionary for the hospitality industry. We can end single use glass through circular economy principles and a closed loop system. The circular economy is the future. And we are proud to be part of that future.”
Barney Blichfeldt, Commercial Director, Spirited Animals Group
“Coming from import & distribution I constantly monitor trends and sales. I see, every day, how much single use glass is distributed, and wasted, even in a small country like Norway. By applying circular economy principles ecoSPIRITS is drastically reducing carbon emissions, offering a much more sustainable route to market for brands and producers. Whilst bringing hospitality teams and the consumer on board by giving them an option to serve and drink in a greener way. We are excited to be the first ecoSPIRITS partner in Scandinavia and to launch this cutting-edge technology to our home market.”
Under this latest ecoSPIRITS Licensed Operator partnership, the world’s 22nd ecoPLANT will be commissioned in Oslo starting in late October with onsite support from the ecoSPIRITS engineering team. ecoSPIRITS closed loop service will be available in Norway from late November, starting with bars, restaurants and hotels in Oslo. Over the first half of 2022, Spirited Animals Group plans to expand ecoTOTE™ deliveries nationwide and to offer open access to the system to a growing list of brands and distributors under the ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program. Norway will also participate in the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program, planting one tree for every ecoTOTE™delivered to hospitality venues.
As seen in other markets around the world, the early feedback from local bars, restaurants and hotels on ecoSPIRITS’ arrival in Norway has been overwhelmingly positive.
Slavomir Kytka, Bar Manager, Amerikalinjen
“At Amerikalinjen, we care about history, but also the future. As a venue, we feel it is very important to do our small part to help fight climate change. One way is to cut our carbon emissions footprint and eliminate single use waste wherever possible. Ordering our spirits in ecoTOTE™ format is a revolutionary way to do so.”
Marek Novak, Bar Manager, Kranen Bar, Edvard Munch Museum
Kranen Bar, Edvard Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway
“We feel ecoSPIRITS is a bright example of how the bar industry keeps evolving by becoming more and more mindful of our contribution to environmental pollution. ecoSPIRITS is a natural fit for high volume venues. Their SmartPour technology makes in-house bottled cocktails and pre-batching easier as well. I have been following this project since their launch in Singapore in 2018 and I am extremely excited to be one of the pioneer users in Scandinavia. We will spread the word from Kranen Bar at the Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo!”
Zdenek Kastanek, International Sales Director, ecoSPIRITS
“The ecoSPIRITS Licensed Operator Program is a worldwide network of experienced hospitality entrepreneurs and investors who own and operate ecoSPIRITS closed loop service in individual territories. Barney and Chris fit this mould perfectly with Spirited Animals Group. They are prime examples of the up-and-coming innovators who dare to think differently and, as a result, are driving the change in our industry and the planet so desperately need. The future is more hopeful in a world where teams like Spirited Animals Group are hard at work.”
ecoSPIRITS closed loop service will be available in Norway from November 2021. Bars, restaurants, hotels, distributors and brands that are interested in joining the ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program in Norway can get in touch via email [email protected] or ecospirits@spiritedanimals.no
About Spirited Animals Group
Founded in Oslo in 2021, Spirited Animals Group is a creative company within the hospitality industry. They focus on creative work through consultancy, management and projects through hotels, bars and restaurants all over the Nordics. Launched in 2021, they have already put themselves on the map by signing consultancy and partnership contracts with places such as the five-star Hotel Continental in Oslo Kansai Group in Stockholm and have already completed a restaurant opening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia earlier this year. ecoSPIRITS is the latest addition to their growing portfolio of projects.
For more information, please visit www.spiritedanimals.no