MIAMI 28 February 2022 ecoSPIRITS announced today that it has signed a Licensed Operator Agreement for the United States with a new joint venture company established with Park Street Technology Ventures and the Edmund Pillsbury family. ecoSPIRITS USA will be headquartered in Miami, where Park Street is also based. Financing for the joint venture will be provided by all three parties. As part of the launch of ecoSPIRITS patent-pending closed loop spirits technology in the world’s largest premium spirits market, ecoSPIRITS’ Zdenek Kastanek will transition into the new role of Managing Director, ecoSPIRITS USA effective July 2022.
Park Street Technology Ventures is an affiliate of Park Street, a leading technology-enabled services company that helps emerging and established alcoholic beverage suppliers and brand owners cost-effectively and securely scale and manage their businesses in the U.S. market. ecoSPIRITS selected Park Street as their U.S. partner for their extensive experience across the entire beverage alcohol value chain, including regulatory compliance, freight and logistics, importing and distribution, and information and data management. Backed by Park Street’s 400 team members in the United States and around the world, and ecoSPIRITS’ global team and industry-leading experience with circular spirits, the new joint venture is well positioned to bring circular spirits to a complex and exciting U.S. market.
“Park Street is committed to investing in sustainability, and the ecoSPIRITS system delivers measurable value to participants throughout the supply chain – from manufacturers and distributors to on-premise accounts and consumers. The term ‘drink responsibly’ now has an even broader implication and we are proud to partner with ecoSPIRITS to bring its technology to the U.S. market.”
“The U.S. is a crucial market in terms of size, visibility and innovation. Over the past two years, we have been received a remarkable number of inquiries about the ecoSPIRITS technology from U.S.-based brands, distributors and hospitality operators. The timing is right to bring closed loop spirits to the U.S. With its broad network of relationships and commitment to innovation, Park Street was the natural partner for ecoSPIRITS USA.”
Private financing for the new joint venture will be led by the Edmund Pillsbury family, with co-investments by ecoSPIRITS and Park Street. Edmund Pillsbury, who is an experienced private investor and a board member of Tahoe Blue Vodka, will take a seat on the board of the joint venture entity alongside Kohlmann and Gabie. The joint venture has opened offices in Miami, where Kastanek is based, and will build a team of industry professionals dedicated to scaling closed loop spirits across the country.
“As an angel investor and board member of Tahoe Blue Vodka, I was able to appreciate the impact single use glass has on the environment. We sell thousands of cases a year and the majority of our glass ends up in a landfill. ecoSPIRITS is an elegant solution and represents the future of responsible packaging in the spirits and wine industry. This solution could potentially eliminate millions of pounds of single use glass and dramatically improve the climate impact of the entire industry.”
“ecoSPIRITS has long planned to enter the U.S. market, which is known for leadership in both sustainability and innovation. With a majority of our global customer based already operating in the U.S., we have a head start in terms of Climate Partner brands and hospitality operators. We could not have asked for a better partner in Park Street, or lead investors in the Ed Pillsbury and his family, for one of our most important markets worldwide.”
In the first phase of development, ecoSPIRITS USA will offer closed loop service in Florida and California from three ecoPLANTs (Nos. 31, 32 and 33) based in Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, respectively. The ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program will open to spirit brands, importers, distributors and hospitality operators and venues who are looking to reduce the single use waste and carbon footprint of their U.S. spirit distribution and consumption. ecoSPIRITS USA will also participate in the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program, which plants native trees in endangered wild areas based ecoTOTE™ cycles in the closed loop system.
Bars, restaurants, hotels, importers, distributors and brands that are interested in joining the ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program in the U.S. can get in touch via email at [email protected]. Additional information on the timeline for closed loop service and the coverage in each state will be released soon.
About Park Street
Launched in 2003 by former McKinsey consultants, Park Street is a technology-enabled services company that helps emerging and established alcoholic beverage suppliers and brand owners cost-effectively and securely scale and manage their businesses. The company combines complex sector expertise with skilled human capital and a purpose-built technology platform to deliver fully transparent and reliable performance. Areas of expertise include regulatory compliance, freight and logistics, importing and distribution, order fulfillment, accounting, HR and benefits management, working capital, information and data management, systems development, systems integration, and more. The company is trusted by thousands of brands from new-to-market entrepreneurs to well established multi-brand global portfolios. Park Street is headquartered in Miami, Florida and has over 400 team members supporting operations across the United States and around the world.
About Park Street Technology Ventures
Park Street Technology Ventures (“Park Street Ventures”) is an affiliate of Park Street and invests in early-stage start-ups and established growth companies in the alcoholic beverage industry. The firm’s investment mandate focuses on transformative technologies and green initiatives. Park Street Ventures provides a combination of capital, strategic and operational guidance, and industry knowledge to help companies accelerate growth.
For more information, please visit www.parkstreet.com