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The inspiration behind turning bread waste into sustainable spirits
During the pandemic, bags of unsold bread began piling up in the back room of our former bakery Handelek and in stores that returned surplus products. The challenge of managing this excess led us to consider how to transform surplus bread into a valuable product. Inspired by an article about the Austrian bakery Bäckerei Therese Mölk, which has been crafting alcohol from surplus bakery goods since 2019, we decided to explore this concept in Poland.
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For six months, we meticulously collected, dried, and prepared the bread surpluses for processing. Partnering with the Podkarpacka Okowita Distillery and their master distiller, Grzegorz Pińczuk, we developed a unique spirit made entirely from bread waste. This is how Okowita KRAST was born — our zero-waste distillate created from dried and crumbled bread. Through this initiative, we saved our first ton of wholesome bread, proving the potential of successful bakery waste management.
Gold for a sustainable craft alcohol made from surplus bread
In June 2021, we launched Okowita KRAST on the craft spirits market, presenting it as a bread waste solution and a zero-waste distillate. By utilizing high-quality flours, dried fruits, nuts, and seeds from the bread, we created a spirit that received widespread acclaim.
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Industry experts praised the Okowita's complexity:
“The taste has a lot of pleasant sweetness, milkiness, wafer, but has also a more bitter, nutty note and yeast. In the finish you can taste nuts, especially pistachios, as well as salt and pepper” - Łukasz Gołębiewski, Spirits.com.pl
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“The drink smells like wholemeal bread with additions of cranberries, grain, hay and fruit, mainly plums. The taste is quite bitter, Okowita is bitter-sour, and creamy-milky, with notes of nuts. Long warming finish with a taste of nuts, wholemeal bread, salt and pepper" - Marcin Młodożeniec, 40procent.pl
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"A phenomenal product. Complex, surprising. Definitely one of the most interesting spirits I drank.” - Vodka Lover - Vodka tasting
In October 2021, our efforts were validated when Okowita KRAST won double gold at the IV Warsaw Spirits Competition, securing its place in the category "Strong craft spirits of grain origin" and showcasing the possibilities of turning unsold bread to value.
From waste to resource: a new life for unsold bread
The distillation of bread brings not only exceptional flavour but also impressive efficiency. Each 0.5-litre bottle of Okowita KRAST contained the equivalent of three loaves of unsold bread, reducing methane emissions and contributing to a lower carbon footprint. Unlike traditional spirits, our product avoids the need for cultivating new raw materials, further emphasizing its more sustainable approach.
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Through fermentation and distillation, we’ve demonstrated how to reuse bread waste and contribute to bakery resource efficiency. Find out more about how such distillates create value for traditional bakeries.
This project represents just one of many paths for bread waste valorisation, inspiring further innovation in trends in bread waste utilization. Let's talk to create your bakery surplus to purpose.
