Zest

Seoul

Sustainability for the ‘Seoul’

Naming your bar Zest, a portmanteau of ‘zero’ and ‘waste’, is quite a mission statement, but co-founders Demie Kim, Noah Kwon, Jisu Park and Sean Woo are inching ever closer to realising it.

Sustainability is at the fore of Zest’s ethos, with emphasis placed on forward-thinking and energy efficient practices. At the bar’s core, the signature drinks resourcefully incorporate at least one locally-sourced ingredient (including the product’s detailed origin story) that is poured into glassware procured from local artisans.

Collaborating with farms less than 25 kilometers from Seoul for foraged seasonal herbs and hand-picked edible flowers, the Zest team puts would-be waste to use as garnishes, ferments and cordials, meaning patrons sip their way through all elements of an ingredient, from peel to pulp, seed to skin.

Case in point, the Jeju Garibaldi includes specialty oranges and Gujwa village carrots. The Jeju orange, or hallabong, is the renowned fruit of South Korea’s Jeju Island, and the team repurposes the peels to redistill them into Zest’s house gin, further turning the pulp into both a cordial and sauerkraut.

The Zest team cooperates with regional producers to showcase the plant production journey through events like “Connect with Producers” – partnership menus with local restaurants that highlight farmers’ stories and feature drink elements, like honey (in reusable jars) from Jin Park’s Urban Bees project, soju from Gosori and Jin-Mack, craft soy sauce and Omegi liquor produced only on Jeju Island.

Beyond the glass, staff uniforms are assembled from recycled fabrics, menus are printed on a mix of composted materials (like mandarin orange pulp) and carbonated tonics and sodas are made from scratch via a waste reducing, in-house soda system utilising local farm-harvested ‘ugly fruits’, botanicals and upcycled ingredients.

On a larger scale, the Zest team monitors waste output, tracking unused surplus and how it can be reduced by a target of 20% annually. Through actions such as partnering with suppliers who deliver spirits in biodegradable packaging, inventory control via PAR tracking and bulk ordering, portion reduction, non-organic waste recycling, electricity and water auditing and even encouraging visitors to suggest opportunities for sustainability initiatives, guests can sleep easier at night knowing they are sipping for the betterment of Mother Earth.

Zest is a cocktail bar at heart, but for those who look closer, its soul makes it one the world’s most sustainable, visionary and resourceful establishments in the industry. Underscored through the company culture – Zest maintains a monthly fund for staff development via professional training, fitness activities, language courses and task-related classes on topics ranging from fermentation to ceramic art. With a share of the profits funnelled into local ecological projects, Zest is at the very forefront of the modern sustainable bar movement. 

It is this commitment to holistic sustainability that has afforded Zest the coveted title of the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award 2024.

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