Aloha vodka!
By Canadian Packaging Staff
Sustainability Bagging/Weighing green manufacturing Hawaiian Vodka Ocean Vodka solar technology distilling Sugar Can Vodka sustainable farmingNew Ocean Vodka craft distillery in Hawaii an environmentally responsible green dream.
Despite the headline—don’t worry, vodka isn’t going anywhere. “Aloha” does mean ‘hello’ and ‘good-bye’ in the native Hawaiian language after all.
For more than seven years, the Smith family and its Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery has worked diligently to bring their special Ocean Vodka from the Island of Maui, Hawaii to the far reaches of the world, and recently opened its new craft distillery for public tours and tastings on their 80-acre organic farm.
More than 5,000 visitors from around the world have toured the facility in Kula since the April 2013 grand opening.
The distiller produces its vodka about 1,000 feet above sea level, and is the only spirit in the world distilled from organically-farmed sugar cane, blended with deep ocean mineral water and powered by the sun.
For the Smith family, distilling vodka had to be more than being simply about the alcohol. For them, while having to compete globally, Ocean Vodka also had to support the local economy, operate with environmental responsibility and, what the heck, raise awareness for oceanic conservation.
Certified USDA Organic and 100 per cent gluten-free, Ocean Vodka uses a proprietary column distillation process to produce an ultra-clean, award-winning spirit.
This pure refined spirit is blended with deep ocean mineral water, sourced from a depth of 3,000 feet off the Kona Coast of the Big Island, to make Ocean Vodka.
Calcium, magnesium and potassium, which naturally occur in ocean water, give Ocean Vodka its unique, mineral-rich flavor found in no other vodka. These minerals create a pleasant, distinctive taste and enhance the flavors when the vodka is mixed with fresh juices.
Tours of the Ocean Vodka Farm and Craft Distillery include:
- sustainable and organic farming practices through abundant fields of organic sugar cane;
- a local history of Hawaii sugar cane farming with species identification;
- Organic spirits distillation with state-of-the-art equipment, including a 60-foot tall column still; and
- Green manufacturing processes in a 6,000 square foot solar-powered bottling center.
Yes… the Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery utilizes solar panels to power 100 per cent of the operations of the distillery and facility.
The sugar cane is organically farmed on rich, volcanic soils without the use of synthetic pesticides or herbicides, and mature sugar cane stalks are hand-harvested for processing.
And, because it’s a distillery, after all, there is a place to get a drink—The Martini Garden, a garden designed specifically for martini lovers where you can sample the vodka with local ingredients such as Kula lavender, local citrus, passion fruit, pineapple and strawberries.
Since inception in 2005, Ocean Vodka has given a portion of proceeds to oceanic preservation and conservation causes, such as Oceana and Surfrider Foundation.
For more information on Ocean Vodka, visit www.oceanvodka.com.
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