GIN & JERKY:

A Crucial Combo

Big Gin and Neptune Snacks’ Collaboration Proves There’s Nothing Fishy About Sustainability

When a distillery and a food producer collaborate on a product, there’s usually a barrel involved. Seldom do the raw materials used to make distilled spirits get into the mix. This is what makes the collaboration between Seattle’s Big Gin Distillery and Neptune Snacks so intriguing. Neptune uses the spent juniper berries processed after Big Gin’s distillation to season their award-winning Sea Salt & Juniper fish jerky, a partnership they’ve engaged in since Neptune hit the market in 2019. The collaboration’s story would be intriguing if it stopped there, particularly since both products are delicious. But it doesn’t. Dig a little deeper and you’ll see a shared commitment to genuine sustainability, one that’s not marred by PR buzzwords or outside accusations of “greenwashing.” It’s a partnership that works like a good food and beverage pairing.

Northwest Product, Southwest Roots

The partnership between Big Gin and Neptune Snacks is about as Pacific Northwest as it gets. The region is a vital producer of American seafood and an essential source for Neptune’s fish. It’s also a leader in the country’s sustainability efforts. This context makes it somewhat surprising to learn that the collaboration’s roots began some 1,400 miles away in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“I grew up on a cattle ranch in New Mexico, but ended up becoming a marine scientist for Stanford, and I wanted to make a positive impact on sea sustainability,” explained Nick Mendoza, Founder and CEO of Neptune Snacks. “A few years ago, I went back to New Mexico, and I was invited to go on a distillery tour in Santa Fe. During the tour, I asked them what they did with their spent berries. It gave me an idea. I grew up with juniper berries in New Mexico, so I was already familiar with them, so I took some home and started experimenting with them.”

Mendoza’s curiosity dovetailed with his ongoing interest in creating sustainable seafood options. After some extensive research and development in his home test kitchen, he created the juniper glaze that would eventually go on Neptune’s first fish jerky to be sold. It was a great product — awards and a ringing endorsement from internationally renowned chef Massimo Bottura would confirm this sentiment — but Mendoza needed a supply partner that not only could spare enough juniper to meet his needs, but also shared his same values on sustainability.

Enter Big Gin. “We’ve always looked for good collaborations,” explained Alex Myers, Big Gin’s head distiller. “We’re also always looking for opportunities to upcycle. When Nick reached out and asked about our juniper, we knew we could supply him with around 30 to 60 pounds of spent juniper. Now, we can give him whatever he needs.”

Today, the two companies enjoy a close partnership driven in part by cross-promotion. Big Gin carries Neptune Snacks in their distillery. Neptune Snacks is in the process of promoting the collaboration through upcycled stickers on their packaging. They’re also less than four miles apart, which helps them stay connected. “Going to Big Gin’s tasting room to have a cocktail and a bag of jerky is something I regularly do,” Mendoza said.

For Myers, the partnership allows Big Gin to uniquely penetrate the local market. “Neptune is a popular brand in Seattle,” he said. “In turn, our partnership with them can serve as an introduction to gin for some people in some ways. This can expand our popularity and open minds to new pairings — and it is a nice pairing.”

A Bigger Purpose

Neptune Snack’s website provides a window into the making of their sustainable products, which also includes spice Cajun, cracked pepper, and sweet citrus ginger flavors. They make jerky from imperfect, “underloved” fish cuts that are flavorful, yet not aesthetically pleasing enough to sell at the grocery store — an upcycling tactic that fits well with their use of Big Gin’s spent juniper berries. Other data includes a “Find My Fish” system enabling customers to track the fish’s geographic origin, what fishery it came from, and how it was caught via a QR code. There are also plenty of graphs, statistics, and info built around sea sustainability, food waste, and climate change. The brand walks the walk, but Mendoza also realizes that not everyone wants to talk the talk.

“Sustainability may be number one on the list of what I want to talk about, but it’s probably number five on what people want to hear,” Mendoza said. “They’ll first want to know if it tastes good, if it will make them feel good, if it’s healthy, and where it can be bought.”

This reality highlights the common ground Neptune Snacks and Big Gin share. Both know making delicious products that the public enjoys provides them with the foundation needed to pursue other sustainable goals. According to Myers, these goals turn into a list that keeps expanding. “Sustainability is kind of like getting a tattoo,” Myers said. “Once you get one tattoo, you want more. With sustainability, once you start with one sustainable practice, you start to see what other sustainable practices you can do.”

While people may buy Neptune Snacks and Big Gin for their respective tastes, this doesn’t mean that opportunities to discuss sustainability don’t arise — particularly given the brands’ location. “Sustainability is always on the back of people’s minds in the Pacific Northwest,” Myers said. “There are plenty of ways for people to bring it up, like talking about the region’s wildlife and agriculture. Since distilling’s a product of farming, the sustainable practices that we do at Big Gin, like recycling cooling water and upcycling our spent juniper, naturally ties into these types of conversations.”

When these conversations do occur, they can carry enough clout to change people’s perspective thanks to the way they taste. “If people are skeptical of imperfect cuts of fish and spent juniper berries, the flavor of the jerky will change their mind,” Mendoza stated.

A Bigger, Brighter Future

Like most businesses, Neptune Snacks and Big Gin both hope to grow within their respective categories. However, there is a caveat. “As we get bigger, we don’t want to be less of who we are now,” Myers said. “While we’re not leveraging our sustainability practices to sell more bottles, I do feel it’s important that we keep doing the things we can and need to do at any size.”

No matter what the future holds, the bond between Neptune Snacks and Big Gin is poised to remain strong. “Nick’s found a great niche of sustainability through his jerky, so it’s very easy to say yes to a partnership,” Myers added. “Honestly, even without the juniper process, we’d find a way to work with him.”

Big Gin Distillery is located in Seattle, Washington. For more information visit www.biggindistillery.com or call (206) 557-4599. Visit www.neptunesnacks.com for more info on Neptune Snacks.