If you live in the world, you have likely heard the rallying cries to “Save The Bees”, and with good reason, because we need them. If you live in New York City (or any one of a few other coastal states), you have likely heard the rallying cries to “Save The Oysters”…unless, of course, you are not from one of these states. But even if you are not from one of these coastal states, the existence of oysters should still concern you…and for more than just the pearls they produce or how good they taste on the half shell.
Fermenting Seeds of Sustainability & Renewal
For New York City, long story short, at one point in our history, New York Harbor, as part of the Hudson River estuary, was a haven of oyster reefs, and therefore, oysters and other abundant marine life. Due to over-harvesting of oysters, and extreme pollution, the oysters, and their reefs, all but died off, and same goes for other parts of the ecosystem that relied on them…which was basically most of it.
Oysters are considered the “Ecosystem Engineers” of their environments. Among their many duties, they filter the water for a better part of the Hudson River as well as New York Harbor, along with building and maintaining their reefs, making their environment livable for other marine animals such as whales and seahorses, to name a few. Since its founding in 2014, restoring the oyster reefs to New York Harbor has been the mission of the Billion Oyster Project. The ultimate goal is to restore 1 billion oysters to New York Harbor, by 2035. But they don’t do it alone.
A Sauvignon For Sustainability?
Shortly after the launch of the Billion Oyster Project, Berlin Kelly was inspired to marry her passion for high-quality, sustainable foods and wines with her concern for the environment. She began creating fermented beverages as part of New York City’s Homebrewer’s Guild. One evening, while drinking wine, eating oysters, and watching ShellShocked, a documentary about the oyster’s decline, and the efforts to restore them in New York, Proud Pour was born.
Through its products – Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and newly added cider, called Cider for Sea Turtles – Proud Pour supports the missions of its environmental partners to save the sea turtles, save the bees, and especially to save the oysters of New York (as well as other coastal states) in partnership with organizations including, but not limited to, the Billion Oyster Project, Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program, and Moriches Bay Restoration Project.
Be on the look out for the release of Proud Pour’s Rosé for Reefs. But in the meantime, enjoy a glass of their Sauvignon Blanc and save the oysters of New York Harbor!
