HYKE, a new, premium gin made in England using grape spirit produced from surplus fresh table grapes, launched on Monday 18th March, Global Recycling Day. HYKE ingeniously re-invents the equivalent of 1.4 million punnets* of internationally sourced grapes, per year, that are surplus to the requirements of the supply chain, as a luxury, handcrafted spirit.
HYKE contains a unique blend of botanicals inspired by the grapes’ African and South American origins, including coriander, myrrh and rooibos. Rich, sweet citrus characters, followed by velvet-textured spice and complex aromatics combine to make HYKE versatile enough for a classic G&T, a refreshing Spritz or a sophisticated Martini.
Co-created by Foxhole Spirits – an innovator in the drinks industry, specialising in the production of premium spirits from otherwise unused resources, and Richard Hochfeld Ltd, one of the UK’s largest fruit importers – HYKE will go on sale exclusively in 300 Tesco stores nationwide, helping to support the retailers’ targets, as part of Champions 12.3, to halve food waste by 2030.
James Oag-Cooper, MD and co-founder of Foxhole Spirits comments: “We knew that there was something special that could and ‘should’ be done with this quality by-product, so we applied our expertise and craftsmanship to the challenge. The result is a totally unique product which tastes exceptionally delicious, is beautifully presented, sustainably conscious and yet still affordable.”
Karen Cleave, Technical Director at Richard Hochfeld Ltd adds: “For packing, the grapes are cut and trimmed to fit the punnets, leaving loose grapes and tiny bunches that can’t be sold as fresh. The size of the trade means that these lovely fresh grapes – equivalent to the weight of about 3.5 blue whales – end up as animal feed or in an anaerobic digester. Now we’re taking them on a delicious journey which respects the provenance of the grapes and supports our commitment, as one of Tesco’s biggest suppliers, to cut waste.”
Traditional African fabrics inspire the striking geometric label design on the bottle, a further nod to the origin of the table grapes used to make the gin. In addition, every element of the bottle is made from recyclable material, with each detail of the process and materials considered, and the environmental impact reduced where possible.
*Approx. 713 tonnes of fresh table grapes per year are not suitable for fresh consumption from a total volume of 500,000 tonnes. The base spirit created from surplus grapes helps to reduce food waste in supply chain.
