‘Cooper King has a strong environmental focus too. The company was born from an adventure, travelling to some of the world’s most beautiful locations, so it’s only natural that we wish to preserve the planet so that future generations may enjoy it too. Further still, we want the Cooper King brand to exist decades into the future. That means making sustainability central to our business, not just environmentally, but financially and socially. All businesses have a responsibility – and the opportunity – to achieve sustainable growth and minimise harm.
We’re the only distillery in Europe to become a member of the global environmental initiative ‘1% for the Planet’, meaning we formally pledge to donate 1% of Dry Gin sales to our partner charity, the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT). In fact, we go beyond our annual commitment, donating 2.5% to help YDMT make a positive impact in the local community, which translates to the planting of 1 square metre of native English woodland for every bottle of Dry Gin sold. We’ve planted over 3000 square metres so far.
We’re the only distillery in Europe to become a member of the global environmental initiative ‘1% for the Planet’. As well as helping to reforest some of England’s most beautiful landscapes, we’ve planted our own on-site orchard too. Not only will this provide us with fresh fruit for seasonal batches of liqueurs and healthy snacks for hungry workers, it also bolsters the site’s biodiversity, supports pollinators, reduces our carbon footprint and helps to mitigate flood risks.
The distillery is powered by Britain’s greenest energy company, Ecotricity. This means that 100% of the electricity we use is guaranteed to be from renewable sources such as wind, sun and sea. It’s more expensive, but reduces the environmental impact of our operations, supports Britain’s energy independence and reduces reliance on fossil fuels.
We compost all our spent botanicals from the distillation process on-site, and use these to grow the next harvest of tasty ingredients. We’re one of the first distilleries in the country to offer a gin refill scheme. When anyone returns an empty bottle to us at the distillery, we refill it for a discounted price. Customers save money and reduce waste at the same time.
We’re one of the first distilleries in the country to offer a gin refill scheme.
Sustainability also involves keeping things as local as possible. We hold ‘craftsmanship, honesty and adventure’ at the core of the business. We work with the best local craftspeople; from local artist Emily Stubbs who created the marbling for the award-winning bottle design, to the last independent master cooper in the UK, Yorkshireman Alastair Simms, who is skillfully crafting our single malt whisky casks.’
The brand story
‘There’s a rich story behind the distillery, named after Chris’s great-great-grandfather, the Royal Marines Artillery Lieutenant Colonel Charles Cooper King, who traced the family back to Yorkshire and the year 1030. In 1389 one such ancestor, Thomas Pigot, was confirmed as Abbot of St Mary’s Abbey, York (located within the city’s Museum Gardens).
The Pigot family were also great benefactors to Ripon Cathedral, evidenced by the carvings of the Pigot shield adorning the inside of the building, which also forms part of the Cooper King logo, a stylised version of the Cooper King coat of arms. There’s a rich story behind the distillery, named after Chris’s great-great-grandfather, the Royal Marines Artillery Lieutenant Colonel Charles Cooper King, who traced the family back to Yorkshire and the year 1030.
The company and brand origins are touched upon in our numerous and varied blog posts, which continue to draw strong engagement and interaction from customers and help build a loyal following. The blogs feature spotlights on local producers, discovery, learning, brand story and our sustainability efforts.’
