Gin Saves the Planet: Award-Winning Aussie Distilling Co Raises Sustainability Bar
Announcement posted by Natural Distilling Co 28 Oct 2021
With PwC’s June 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey demonstrating that roughly 1-in-2 consumers "intentionally buy items with eco-friendly packaging or less packaging" (49% of Australians / 54% globally), “buy from companies that are conscious and supportive of protecting the environment" (47% Aus / 54% global) and are "buying more biodegradable/eco-friendly products" (49% Aus / 53% global)", it’s clear that sustainability considerations have reached their tipping point.
Natural Distilling Co’s Founder & Director Rhys Staley has been following exactly that hypothesis for over half a decade now – and it’s paying off.
He’s currently celebrating an October 2021 Silver Medal win at the Australian Gin Awards for NDC’s Hemp Gin with Beta C, which follows last year’s Silver Medal for his Myrcene Hemp Vodka and Bronze for his Limonene Hemp Gin at the Taste Australia Awards.
“It’s been great to receive that recognition, as it helps to confirm what we’ve believed all along – principles of sustainability aren’t just great for the earth and great for the palate – they’re great for business, too”.
From Grandad’s Vat to Starward Distillery
The first steps towards the brand’s innovative approach to distilling were taken in 2015 when Rhys started making whiskey in his Grandfather’s old dairy vat. His Science Degree from Deakin University came in handy, and his experiments developed into something of an obsession.
“I spent years Googling things, learning processes, making notes and doing distillery tours. We discovered a 400 litre copper hot water service behind the wall of our dairy shed and my uncle helped me cut it down, clean and rewire it – suddenly we had a still!”
A 200 litre first fill bourbon barrel was procured from the States with summer days and nights spent sweating over the copper still. Family and friends would come around at all hours to help out, curious to see the whiskey finally trickling out of the copper pot made from the hot water service. Everyone was a little bit sceptical at first but nevertheless interested and involved. The support of a close-knit wider family and friends soon led to a widespread interest in community investment in the distilling company, eventuating in the immensely popular Founders Club.
It kicked off a long road of experimentation, and Rhys was soon distilling a wide variety of spirits from Gippsland water and ingredients growing on Mum and Dad’s farm down near Wilson’s Prom in South Gippsland Shire. He got himself a second job at Starward Distillery in Melbourne to support his license application and see how things are done at one of the most innovative distilleries in the world.
Understanding Innovation
Understanding innovation was key – which was what led to NDC embarking on a voyage to become Australia’s most sustainable vertically integrated distilling company. A key aspect of this comes from their key ingredient: hemp, which is grown on local Gippsland farms.
Rhys’ career path had previously led to him working in Australia’s medical cannabis industry for some of the nation’s leading commercial organisations, and he realised that this innovative crop of the future had huge potential as the perfect opportunity for the family, the farm, the community and the distillery.
The first bottles were sold in late 2019, and since then the Natural Distilling Company has tireless pursued a policy of continuous improvement not just around innovative distilling, but also in regard to sustainability.
“Supporting the ethical production of hemp on our farm through organic, pesticide-free hemp is a key to being a part of the solution. My own degree in Biological Science alongside my family’s traditional farming background are the crucial elements which allow us to engage in sustainable agriculture, creating food products which are uniquely delicious.
“You’ve probably heard of biodynamic wine, which has become fashionable in recent years – as far as we know, we’re the only biodynamic gin producer in Australia, and the only biodynamic vodka producer in the world”.
Sustainability Rules
The brand has consistently intensified its focus on all things sustainable, constantly finding new ways to improve.
“We focus on a sustainable work environment, keeping everything as close to home as possible in a closed loop – growing locally, distributing locally and employing locally.
“However, we have a growing customer base all over Australia – and we know it’s of great importance to them that we can proudly say that all our packaging and our products are completely sustainable.
“We exclusively use carbon neutral packaging in order to substitute out single use plastic products, replacing them with biodegradable and recyclable products. We’ve found sustainable solutions for bubble mailers and packaging tape, and we’re starting to understand what the future of bioplastic might look like. Not only does this eco-friendly packaging safely carry our gin and vodka right to your doorstep, it even provides a meal for the worms afterwards! Don’t give them any gin though…”
Our alternative to bubble wrap is Hex Wrap, which works the same magic as bubble wrap but is extremely eco-friendly – fully compostable and even recyclable. We’ve swapped sticky tape for Eco tape which is made from renewable materials and can even be fed to your worms at home. Even our bottle label is eco-friendly, only taking 6 months to break down in your home compost. We even use a thermal label printer, meaning no ink cartridges – because every bit counts in pursuit of zero waste when it comes to looking after the planet.”