Honest Spirits On Their Honest Approach

In nutshell, what is Honest?

We’re an Auckland based boutique spirit company, specialising in producing experimental rum through a sustainable lense.

How did Honest come about and where did the passion for "experimental" spirits come from?

We're a couple of childhood friends who were on opposite sides of the world during the global lockdown; with not much to do, and a passion for experimental spirits and caring for the planet. We got talking and realised there wasn’t a rum that reflected these things, so we decided to make one.

We wanted a rum that was a little different - something that challenged the stereotype of traditional rum, and perhaps slightly unconventional. We wanted a rum that excited us - but that was driven to always be mindful of the planet.

You guys are doing some awesome things with your accreditations and approach (carbon zero, plastic free, no waste). How has that journey been so far and any recommendations for businesses trying to eliminate their own carbon footprint? 

We spent along time researching and developing our product prior to launch. We spoke with industry experts to help us create a product that would reduce the impact of plastic and waste on our planet. This isn’t anything new, every business has the capability to make these changes. It comes at a financial cost, but it’s worth it, you wouldn’t just throw a plastic cap on the floor in your kitchen and let it sit there, so why make products with plastic caps that have to go sit on the earths floor.

We currently calculate all of our carbon emissions. Once we have been trading for 12 months, we will be able to offset all of our emissions for the year and be fully certified. 

The team at Ekos are fantastic, we would recommend getting in touch with them, they have a range of services from helping to calculate your carbon footprint to becoming climate positive (which is our ultimate goal). 

Recently you had some tees printed at The Print Room, why did you choose The Print Room if you don't mind me asking?

We’d been following the The Print Room for a while on Instagram, we loved the Tee’s that they had been producing and thought they would be a perfect fit.

How have you found the reception to be for your unconventional product here in NZ, do you think there's a growing appetite for something a little different?   

It’s been a big hit with the spiced rum drinkers but we’ve welcomed a huge number of non-rum drinkers to the category. It’s been amazing to watch people’s perception of rum unfold in front of our eyes. The rum industry is growing and Kiwi’s are always on the look out for new interesting products.

Looking forward, where do you see Honest going in the future – world domination or more of a work-life balance type of situation?

At the moment we’re just enjoying watching people enjoy our product, of course we would love to see it being used in bars across the world, but in doing so we would need to stay true to our values.

Find out more about Drink Honest here; 
Website: https://drinkhonest.co.nz/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/drinkhonest