OPERATORS
⊳ Founder / Chef Peter Merriman has set a goal to make all Merriman ’ s Hawaii restaurant locations carbon neutral .
wine , the company says . Element [ AL ] shipments can also fit 43 % more cases of wine per truck while keeping the total load 3 % lighter in comparison to glass .
To lessen its carbon emissions , Merriman ’ s Hawaii , which operates four restaurants throughout the Hawaiian islands , transitioned to lighter-weight bottles for all its wine-by-theglass programs in 2023 . But the company found that these bottles are often just 5 % to 10 % lighter , “ and we wanted to make a larger impact ,” says beverage director Jason Vendrell .
“ The excess weight of the bottles uses additional fuel on the barges coming over the Pacific , then on the delivery trucks , then again on the recycling trucks ,” he adds . “ Since everything we bring to the Islands comes via boat , there is even more of a necessity for us to cut back on those emissions .”
That ’ s why Merriman ’ s just launched a boxed wine program with several California wineries . The company curated a special wine menu debuting this fall with Matthiasson Winery in Napa Valley , Melville in Santa Rita Hills and Linne Calodo in Paso Robles .
“ We wanted to work with wineries that produce high-quality wines , who also value sustainable practices and minimizing their carbon footprint ,” says Vendrell . “ The program ’ s success requires that the quality of wine we serve is not compromised at all . By selecting these wineries , we can maintain our exceptional wine offerings while really making an impact .”
Chef Peter Merriman , who founded the company in 1988 , has set a goal to make all Merriman ’ s locations carbon neutral . The initial rollout of the boxed wine program , which will also be available at Merriman ’ s sister locations at Handcrafted Restaurants , will replace 1,344 bottles with 336 boxes .
It will also decrease the company ’ s carbon footprint by more than 50 %, due to the fuel used to ship and recycle traditional wine bottles . “ We are dramatically lowering the carbon footprint on each leg of the trip , without negatively affecting the guest experience ,” Vendrell says .
The Adobada Bam Bam cocktail at Superbueno in New York uses all of the pineapple : the juice ; the skins ( for infusions and vinegars ); and leftover pulp ( to flavor a maldon salt and guajillo pepper garnish ).
num wine bottles that are lightweight , recyclable and made in the shape of a traditional wine bottle . Compared to shipping glass bottles , Element [ AL ] aluminum wine bottles , which are 80 % lighter than an average glass wine bottle , save roughly 11,500 lbs . of weight per truckload for the same amount of
LOW- / NO-WASTE COCKTAILS
Bars are known for their waste , mainly from the by-products of fresh produce used for juice and drink garnishes . But several on-premise operators have implemented more sustainable practices .
For instance , all bartenders at Botanist restaurant in the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver , Canada , undergo sustainability training . They use closed-loop-oriented cocktail and ingredient creation , which aims for as close to zero waste as possible , with methods such as saving waste trimmings for citrus , fruit and vegetable garnishes to create syrups and using alternative acids instead of freshly imported citruses for a lower carbon footprint .
Superbueno in New York focuses on zero-waste drinks
8 2024 Sustainability Guide