A Welsh gin produced from recycled coffee grounds will launch on World Gin Day tomorrow.
The coffee based, but caffeine free spirit is the latest product from Grounds for Good, a lockdown-launched range, created in October by medical doctor turned entrepreneur Dr Rosie Oretti and friend and fellow beauty expert Amy Adams.
With a shared love of coffee and a value for all things sustainable and ethical, Dr Oretti and Ms Adams' first products were three body polishes of repurposed coffee grounds destined for landfill, followed by candles. And now Dr Oretti is taking the brand forward with the GFG London Dry Gin No.1, distilled at the Gower Gin Company.
GFG is a social enterprise, with some profit donated to The Wallich, a homeless charity which supported many of addiction psychiatrist Dr Oretti鈥檚 patients, and where she is now a Trustee, since retiring after 30 years within the NHS.
鈥淭his is a cause close to my heart,鈥 said Dr Oretti, who, as one of Wales鈥 few addiction psychiatrists, advised Welsh Government on substance misuse strategy and policy for 10 years.
鈥淎nd yes, I recognise the irony - I certainly did not envisage that I would be producing and selling alcohol in my future,鈥 she says.
While some GFG profits go towards supporting The Wallich, these aren鈥檛 from the gin. As many homeless individuals suffer from alcohol or drug related problems, it wouldn鈥檛 be ethical to donate assets from this type of source, which Dr Oretti feels, doesn鈥檛 align with the charity.
Drawing on their years of green, clean beauty experience 鈥 having met while they both worked for vegan, cruelty-free sustainable 海角视频 franchise Tropic Skincare 鈥 Dr Oretti and Ms Adams harnessed a three-pronged approach or 鈥榯hree angles of good鈥 鈥 good for you, good for the community and good for the planet.
In terms of community, as well as The Wallich, local independent Penarth coffee houses Br酶d and Foxy鈥檚 Deli and throughout lockdown have supplied GFG, saving on commercial waste spend, with grounds being a wet and heavy expense.
鈥淕oing forward, in order to be part of the 鈥楪FG gang鈥 businesses will retail some or all of our products in return,鈥 says Dr Oretti, got her very early love of good coffee from her Italian father.
鈥淚 want to align more with coffee shops that have the same ethos for sustainability as GFG.鈥
Dr Oretti dsecribes GFG Dry London Gin No.1 as a relaxing, versatile summer tipple, rather than having the kick of an Espresso Martini, as the distillation process removes caffeine.
Neither does it have a strong coffee flavour, she says, although the grounds do add subtle and unique flavour to the gin base in a similar way to popular products featuring ingredients like juniper, seaweed or lemon.
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鈥淒omestic coffee users can pop any of their grounds onto their garden or into a composter - it鈥檚 a great soil fertilizer,鈥 says Dr Oretti, who qualified with a First Class Honours Degree in Pharmacology in 1985.
鈥淔ailing that 鈥 always place into food waste rather than general waste, so it doesn鈥檛 go to landfill.鈥
Coffee grounds are typically used only once before going to landfill. Decomposing them in bulk, and under anaerobic conditions, emits harmful methane gas around 34 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Dr Oretti鈥檚 interest in coffee developed at Cardiff charity and non-profit coffee shop Bigmoose, where she volunteered for a year after retiring.
鈥淚 really can鈥檛 remember an actual 鈥榚ureka鈥 moment, but it was around that time that I started noticing the vast amounts of coffee waste," she said.
"The more I researched, the more I realised what massive potential there is for grounds as a biofuel in coffee logs; clothing and shoes; mushroom grow kits; ink鈥he list goes on.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been someone who cares about the planet and I hate thoughtless waste. Working in the NHS stifles creativity and innovation and so launching GFG, where I have such a creative reign, has been sheer pleasure.
鈥淲e have a bean to cup coffee maker at home and we have four shots in the morning. That鈥檚 it! I find I only need this amount of great quality coffee and it keeps me going all day. My dad never drank instant coffee and my poor mum would have to make fresh coffee with a Moka pot on the stove.鈥
