Sustainability
Sustainability
Our Approach
Sustainability is a nebulous term, it means different thinks to different people. To us it is not a destination, it is a mindest, a philosophy, and a journey. We strive to reduce our carbon footprint, use renewable energy, reduce water usage, and minimize waste. We recognize that our journey towards sustainability is ongoing, and we remain dedicated to continually improving our practices and contributing to a cleaner, healthier planet.
Carbon Footprint
Reducing our carbon footprint is a top priority for us We recognize that our operations have an impact on the environment, and we are committed to minimizing that impact. To achieve this, we are implementing a range of measures to reduce our carbon emissions, including investing in energy-efficient equipment, optimizing our supply chain, and promoting sustainable transportation.
Our base spirit is lactanol from Fonterra. It is made from left over whey from cheese making produced at Reporoa (about 30km up the road from us). We receive it in 209 litre steel drums.
Our main water source is Lake Taupō. The water used for reducing the alcohol strength prior to bottling is Tongariro Water from National Park.
Most of the botanicals for our gin come from overseas (they simply aren't grown here). The dried lime peel comes from Hawkes Bay, the walnuts come from the South Island, the Manuku, Horopto, and Kawakawa from from Erua (near National Park).
Our bottles currently come from overseas, but we are working with a New Zealand company to make bottles localy using recycled glass.
Our glass stoppers come from overseas. We haven't found anyone making them in NZ.
All our labelling is printed Chirstchurch.
All the distilling is don't using electricity. Based in Taupō we are surrounded by both hydro and geothermal power stations. We have investigated using direct geothermal energy, but we wouldn't be able to produce it as efficiently as the power companies. When we build our next distillery we will be using solar and may wind, but this is around reducing costs not our carbon footprint.
We trading our big diesel ute down to a smaller petrol SUV, But have found that the ute worked much better from us. So we are waiting for a good electric or hybrid ute to come on the market.
Bottles:
The stoppers are glass (although they do have a small plastics seal on them. The tamper seal over the stopper is changing from a plastic to paper.
Inbound:
We are working with suppliers to reduce plastic packaging on items we purchase. This isn't going to happen overnight, but one step at a time.
Outbound:
Consumer orders are wrapped tissue paper and put them in a cardboard box. We have sourcing non-plastic packaging tape.
Wholesale orders are packaged in a cardboard box with cardboard dividers (recycled from the inbound bottles).
They don't directly reduce your carbon footprint. It's just paying others so you don't have to do anything.
Reduce Water Usage
Distilling is a water intensive process.
We are working on ways to reuse water for heating and cooling within the process, without increasing our energy usage too much.
Reduce waste
We believe that waste is a resource that can be repurposed, recycled, or upcycled. That's why we have implemented a range of measures to minimize our waste, including composting organic waste, recycling materials, and repurposing waste materials for other uses. By upcycling waste materials, we are not only reducing our impact on the environment, but we are also contributing to a more circular economy. We are committed to continually improving our waste reduction practices and finding innovative ways to minimize waste throughout our operations. Like our Lactanol drums that get converted in to planters.
