We are counting down to and celebrating Earth Day with spirits brands changing the way we think and drink!
Koskenkorva Vodka, founded in the early 1940’s in the village of Koskenkorva, Finland, is the one of the most sustainably made vodkas with an eco-friendly stewardship that honors the planet with every sip. Global Brand Ambassador Mikael Karttunen tells us more about earth-friendly-mixing and drinking with Koskenkorva Vodka.
Talk to us about your brand’s culture of sustainability.
At Koskenkorva sustainability is not a trend that’s followed but a way of life that has been in the DNA of operations since the very beginning in 1953. The Village of Koskenkorva has a history of living on what the nature has to offer and honoring the environment reaching back several centuries. This attitude is also reflected in our company responsibility where no decision is made without looking at the sustainability impact both from an environmental and a social sustainability point of view.
Why is this important?
We feel that the value of a company cannot be measured only by the equitable profit it makes. If that profit is detrimental to the surrounding community and/or nature, then the value of the company is not “real.” It is more of an illusion. So we have to be able to make decisions that bring both social and environmental sustainability into the equation of turning a profit. We need to be able to make the operation of the company profitable socially and environmentally while it is profitable equitably. That is the only way we can truly call the operation of a company sustainable.
Drinkers are more environmentally conscious. Tell us about this development in the spirits world.
Both environmental and social / equality consciousness can be seen as megatrends cutting through all consumer choices nowadays. And we applaud and support this development with all our hearts! These issues are quickly becoming a hygiene factor for discerning consumers all over the world. And this is a movement we as people of the earth need now more than ever. We at Koskenkorva are putting all of our innovation efforts into giving these consumers options that they can scan with the highest level of scrutiny and be satisfied that their standards are being met. This also applies to hospitality professionals that need to be able to find products and producers that they can trust and easily communicate to their guests as the most responsible choices out there. We are here to provide such an option in the vodka category that isn’t necessarily seen as the hotbed of sustainable innovation.
Where do you see your brand’s commitment to sustainability headed in the future?
Our current sustainability roadmap reaches until 2030 and includes for example authentic carbon neutrality in production without any carbon offset by the year 2025. We are, as an example, strongly involved in paving the way for regenerative farming that aims to convert all farms from carbon sources into significant carbon sinks. It also makes the soil more fertile, makes it retain water better (no nutrient leakage) and provides bigger and better quality harvests. Our goal is to have all of our contracted farmers in Finland educated in regenerative farming by the year 2025. If all the farms in the world moved to regenerative farming we could potentially remove up to 10 times the current annual CO2 emissions globally. So regenerative farming is definitely one of the answers to the global warming crisis. We are dedicated to being one of the pioneers in making it a norm in farming. I see the company’s commitment to sustainability only growing in the years after 2030 and even more ambitious environmental goals will be set in the years to come.
What would you like bartenders to know about your brand?
Whenever you grab a bottle that says “Koskenkorva” on it you can rest assured that every possible action that can be taken in spirits production to become as sustainable as possible have been taken. Already in 2018 The Drinks Business magazine awarded us with the Green Company of the Year award as the first ever spirits producer in the world and since then we have only increased our commitment and investment in sustainable ways of working and will be cutting our environmental footprint down to zero in the next three years. The Koskenkorva brand is also a guarantee that all ingredients in the bottle are purely natural, from a responsible source and no compromise has been made either in the quality of the raw-materials or the taste of the product. I am personally part of our product development team and know for a fact that we will not rest until we are certain the product cannot be made any better.
The post Celebrate Earth Day with Koskenkorva Vodka appeared first on Chilled Magazine.
Source: Mixology News
