Bunbury’s award-winning Cuprum Distillery teams up with Boyanup Fresh Blueberries to create Blueberry Vodka

An award-winning Bunbury distillery has teamed up with a local farm to help fight the war on waste and turn unsold fruit into a delicious and unique alcoholic beverage.

Cuprum Distillery recently released its new Blueberry Vodka — a vibrant, clean and crisp spirit infused with blueberries from a Boyanup farm that were not able to be sold to supermarkets.

Boyanup Fresh Blueberries — the South West farm which supplied the produce — said the fruit had the same taste and nutritional value as any store-bought berries, but could not be sold to stores due to a variety of reasons including size and firmness.

Owner Mario Tosana, who switched to growing blueberries from grapes almost 15 years ago, said it had been heartbreaking to see fruit go to waste each year.

“I think one year we lost about 15 tonnes, and it had all been picked,” Mr Tosana said.

“Even the sheep were sick of eating blueberries.

“We had a talk and thought we had to do something about this.”

The family-owned business began looking for ways to try to stop the excess product from going to waste, including making their own wine and giving some to a local fruit leather maker.

It was then that Cuprum Distillery stepped in, the less than five-year-old business recognised two years in a row at the World Gin Awards.

Cuprum co-owner Rory Binnie said the distillery found out about the fruit going to waste and decided to get creative.

“In my head I was expecting a couple of punnets, and then they backed up the truck and there was about 115kg of blueberries,” Mr Binnie said.

“We have got 300 litre vats and we had our standard vodka and were essentially using a ‘tea bag’.

“We took all the blueberries and put them in a big mesh bag and were dipping them in.

“We were blown away with how much of the blueberry you could actually taste, it was almost like a jam.”

Mr Binnie said the product was already doing well locally, but had been doing especially well in Perth.

“People come into the distillery and have samples and they are blown away,” he said.

“It is pretty cool to see what was a product going to waste now being used at some of the best bars in Perth, it is a pretty cool story.”

For Mr Tosana, the new vodka is just the tip of the iceberg to stopping waste on his farm.

The farmer said any money the family-owned business could make or save was vital with the expenses on workers rising and the cost of living going up.

“If they can buy some kilograms off us each year it keeps them going and expands their business, it is a win-win situation,” Mr Tosana said.

“When you start thinking of what you can do with the excess product, you realise you can do so much with them.

“We spend thousands of dollars on fertiliser each year and the labour cost of picking.

“When you are paying all that money, you don’t want to see waste, so it is good to see what would normally end up being thrown out being used.”

Mr Binnie said the collaboration was one Cuprum Distillery would be looking to continue.

“It is great to see what you can do with that excess product, the sky is the limit,” he said.

“People are all about supporting local.

“We were just like-minded people who wanted to give it a crack, and the feedback on the product has been good, so it is definitely something we are going to continue.”