JALISCO 13 July 2022 True Believers and ecoSPIRITS have announced today the launch of the world’s first spirit brand designed entirely for the circular economy. Los Arcos Destilado de Agave is a high–quality spirit made from 100% Blue Weber Agave, sustainably sourced and produced using traditional methods. As a ‘native circular’ brand, Los Arcos is the first spirit to be designed for – and made available exclusively in – circular packaging technology, including an innovative ‘circular only’ refill bottle and ecoSPIRITS’ ecoTOTE™ and SmartPour™ technologies. Los Arcos Destilado de Agave will be available in ecoSPIRITS markets around the world from August 2022, starting with Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, Cambodia, Australia, New Zealand, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Why Destilado de Agave?
The demand for Blue Weber Agave certified by the Consejo Regulador Del Tequila, A.C. (CRT) for regulated Tequila production has soared in recent years, fuelled by growing popularity of premium agave spirits and cocktails worldwide. Prices for CRT-certified Blue Weber Agave have increased 750% since 2016, driven by a perfect storm of limited quantities of agave in the ground and an explosion in consumer demand.
Traditionally, agave is grown for a minimum of five years prior to harvesting for spirit production. To meet export demand, agave is now being harvested by some producers as young as three years. Unsustainable demand for CRT-certified agave can have a negative environmental impact. Agave is often being planted much closer together, stripping minerals from the soil. Pesticide use is increased to make up for depleted soils and to accelerate the growth cycle. Taken together, these agave cultivation practices can lead to soil erosion and depletion of agricultural farmlands.
Destilado de Agave is a spirit category distilled from agave, but that cannot be labelled as Tequila or Mezcal. This category frees producers to source agave from a broader range of farmers and regions, including the much-loved Blue Weber Agave. By sourcing non-CRT certified agave, True Believers is able to sustainably use only mature agave – never younger than 6 years old – and produce a high quality, yet affordable agave spirit during a time when the world is placing an unstainable burden on agave cultivation in Mexico.
As ecoSPIRITS’ original spirit brand partner in 2018, True Believers was founded with a vision of offering a portfolio of high quality, affordable craft pouring spirits with a distinct sustainability ambition. Los Arcos is the fourth True Believers spirit to launch in ecoTOTE format – following in the footsteps of Tried & True Vodka, Widges Gin and Mackintosh Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – and the first to be designed exclusively for closed loop distribution. By mid-2022, the partnership between True Believers and ecoSPIRITS spans 12 countries worldwide, with many more in the pipeline.
With Los Arcos, True Believers set out to make the best possible agave spirit that is both sustainable and affordable. Los Arcos is produced using mature agave stocks harvested after a minimum of six years, then distilled using traditional methods. The harvesting of solely mature agave allows soils to regenerate naturally, without the need for pesticides. No diffusers, no additives and no immature agave are used in the production of Los Arcos, yielding a structured, full-flavoured agave profile ideal for mixing quality cocktails and sipping.
Produced in Jalisco, Mexico, the heartland of traditional Tequila, Los Arcos’ first release, El Valle, is designed to suit all classic and contemporary Tequila cocktails, and will be released only in ecoTOTE format.
A category-bending spirit is the perfect match for innovative circular packaging technology. As a ‘native circular’ spirit, Los Arcos will be available only in circular format, with no single use bottles available. Instead, True Believers will make full use of the ecoSPIRITS circular technology platform, supplemented by a unique Los Arcos circular presentation bottle designed for refill in both on-trade and off-trade settings. True Believers will also deploy ecoSPIRITS’ next generation SmartPour 2.0S technology for Los Arcos, becoming one of the first brands in the world to offer these intelligent units to on-premise partners. By adopting this ground-breaking approach, True Believers will eliminate all single use glass from the Los Arcos supply chain, dramatically reducing carbon emissions, eliminating nearly all packaging waste, and offering a sustainable footprint from the agave field to glass.
“Los Arcos is simply one of the most exciting, and innovative, projects in True Believers’ history. At a time when pouring Tequila inventories are becoming increasingly scarce, we can now offer the industry a high quality, sustainable alternative that doesn’t leave the planet with a hangover. By embracing circular from Day 1, Los Arcos has a compelling cost, environmental, and quality story to tell. We can’t wait to share this story with venues and consumers worldwide.”
“ecoSPIRITS is approached weekly by agave spirits producers, including those making Tequila, about the potential of our circular packaging technology. Mexico’s CRT currently prohibits spirits labelled as Tequila from adopting reusable packaging, making True Believers’ vision for Los Arcos even more inspiring. We are delighted to be able to celebrate this first-to-market milestone in the transition to circular spirits with one of our most active brand partners. Bring on the low waste Margarita!”
For more information on Los Arcos Destilado de Agave or the True Believers portfolio of affordable craft spirits, please visit www.truthinspirits.global on the web or follow @losarcosagave on Instagram. For brands, importers, distributors, wholesalers, bars, restaurants and hotels interested in joining the ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program, please contact info@ecospirits.global. Media inquiries should be directed to media@ecospirits.global.
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, destilado de agave, 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 the ecoSPIRITS circular spirits packaging technology, playing an important role in fighting single use glass in markets around the world.
For more information, please visit www.truthinspirits.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 supports more than 40 spirits and wine brands 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 building a global network of closed loop service, which will cover 22 countries by the end of 2022.
For more information, please visit www.ecospirits.global