Salcombe Distilling Co. proudly hosted their first ever Sustainability Festival on Thursday 4th August at The Boathouse in Salcombe.
With ocean conservation and sustainability paramount to Salcombe Distilling Co. the event brought ocean lovers together with a day of sustainable food, drink and shopping from local brands. The Marine Conservation Society and Till the Coast is Clear, who are both working tirelessly to create a more sustainable future and conserve the coastal environment, also hosted talks throughout the day.
Commenting on the motivation behind the festival, Howard Davies, co-founder of Salcombe Distilling Co. said: “We are really pleased to have held our first Sustainability Festival at Salcombe Distilling Co. It’s fantastic to host an event where we can partner with other like-minded businesses from the local area who are doing some remarkable things and to all work together, draw a crowd and raise the profile of some of the sustainability initiatives which are taking place in South Devon.”
Charlotte Bolton, National Seasearch Coordinator at the Marine Conservation Society, Salcombe Distilling Co.’s charity partner, hosted a talk highlighting the importance of the recent ‘no anchor zone’ buoys funded through Salcombe Distilling Co.’s ‘1% for the Ocean’ campaign to protect Seagrass meadows off the coast of Dorset’s Portland Harbour.
Charlotte added about the festival: “Salcombe Distilling Co. has been a brilliant sponsor of the Marine Conservation Society’s Seagrass Regeneration Project through the funding of the ‘no anchor zone’ buoys and also through donating one percent of profits from their gins to the charity. It’s been terrific to be here, we had a fabulous day in Salcombe telling everyone why we’re here, what we’re doing and what we’re all about.”
Gary Jolliffe, founder of Till the Coast is Clear, a local CIC dedicated to clearing litter from hard to reach areas of the coastline by kayak, gave a fascinating talk on the vital work TIll the Coast is Clear is completing to preserve our stunning coastline. Gary commented on the importance of the festival: “It was great to attend the festival, the more this sort of thing happens the better. It allows people to see conscious brands all in one place who are passionate about what they do. Often these are small brands who are very lightly funded, doing what they do out of pure love.”
Festival goers were able to explore and shop Devon-based brands which included eco-friendly sunglasses and prescription glasses from Bird Eyewear, stylish recycled home accessories from Weaver Green, WAES the world’s first plastic-free sustainable trainers, sneakers and shoes and Planet Warrior‘s eco-active wear made from recycled plastic bottles and eco-rubber. Signed copies of Devon-based environmental journalist Anna Turns’ Go Toxic Free: Easy and Sustainable Ways to Reduce Chemical Pollution book were also on sale.
Tasha Green, co-founder of Weaver Green commented on the day: “It’s been a privilege to be a part of Salcombe Distilling Co.’s Sustainability Festival. It’s incredible how many sustainably minded companies there are in South Devon doing amazingly innovative things to try and reduce their impact on the environment.”
Lawrence Bird, co-founder, Bird Eyewear added: “We’re receiving a lot of response from people who are interested in local businesses, we sell throughout Europe, however, it is people who have visited Devon who are most interested in our brand. Awareness for the county and what the region is doing is really growing.”
Throughout the day Totnes’ gut conscious food truck, The Bosko Bus served a delicious array of food with drinks available from Salcombe Distilling Co. including low waste cocktails in addition to their classic serves, teas and coffees.
Environmentally driven, from July 2022 Salcombe Distilling Co. extended its ‘1% for the Ocean’ initiative to include even more of their products. Consumers can now rest easy knowing when they buy 50cl Salcombe Gin, any product from the hyper premium Voyager Series or Marabelle Gin, created in partnership with P&O Cruises, in addition to their 70cl bottles of Salcombe Gin and New London Light, that they are helping protect our oceans.
Other initiatives in place to support Salcombe Distilling Co’s. ongoing commitment to ocean conservation include;
- Gin Refill Scheme: When returning an empty 70cl bottle of Salcombe Gin to the Salcombe or Dartmouth retail stores, customers can get a full refill with 10% off the retail price. To encourage use of this waste reducing service, the 6th refill is now complimentary.
- Carbon Neutral Shipping: All UK orders are dispatched using a carbon neutral shipping service.
Bottle Stopper: New London Light now features a bottle stopper made from recycled ocean-bound plastic. It’s a way of helping to ‘turn off the tap’ on dangerous plastic entering our oceans.- Plastic Reduction: SDCo. has eliminated single-use plastic from packaging, instead opting for sustainable alternatives such as biodegradable tamper-proof seals made from sweetcorn husk and sugarcane. Boxes are sealed using paper tape. Conventional plastic bubble wrap and polystyrene fill have been replaced with biodegradable starch-based alternatives derived from vegetables, which can go directly in customers’ compost.
- Renewable Energy: Electricity used across all company sites, is from 100% renewable sources.
- ‘Sustainable’ Cocktails: The SDCo. bar team has created cocktails made with locally foraged ingredients such as Alexanders and Sea Buckthorn shrub, vegan Dandelion honey and citrus stock which uses up the entire lemon, reducing waste from ingredients and their packaging.
For further information about Salcombe Distilling Co., Salcombe Gin or New London Light visit salcombedistilling.com and follow on Instagram at salcombegin and newlondonlight.
Photo: Howard Davies, co-founder of Salcombe Distilling Co. (centre) with Charlotte Bolton, National Seasearch Coordinator at the Marine Conservation Society (on his left), Gary Jolliffe, founder of Till the Coast is Clear (on Charlotte’s left), and representatives from like-minded businesses. Credit – Emma Tolley Photography.
