BARRA of Mendocino partners with Ukiah Natural Foods Co-Op and ReCORK
April 20, 2010
BARRA of Mendocino Winery and Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op partner in Mendocino County’s first ever ReCORK℠ recycling program
Wine lovers help turn corks into shoes while helping to reduce landfill
Redwood Valley, CA April 20, 2010-In support of Earth Day 2010, BARRA of Mendocino Winery and Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op will kick off their ongoing partnership to launch Mendocino County’s first ever ReCORK℠ recycling program, providing local consumers and businesses with convenient drop-off locations for wine cork recycling. Recycled corks will then be used by SOLE, a manufacturer of footbeds, socks and sandals.
In a county with more than 25% of vineyards dedicated to organic farming, GMO-free status and a host of other green initiatives to its name, local residents have proven that every day is Earth Day in Mendocino County. Until now, however, local wine lovers have not had the ability to see their green practices come full circle. Current restrictions by most recycling centers across the US, including Mendocino County, do not allow wine corks to be recycled through normal curbside pickup. Therefore, while the grapes in the wine are organic and the wine bottles are made from recycled glass, the corks themselves wind up in landfills.
“We’ve been farming organically in Mendocino County for over 50 years now,” says Martha Barra, owner of BARRA of Mendocino Winery. “We’ve worked hard to help raise awareness around the benefits of environmental stewardship, and cork recycling is a natural progression in our efforts to further our green message.” The Barra family owns and operates the CCOF certified BARRA of Mendocino Winery, and the custom crush/wine storage facility, Redwood Valley Cellars in Redwood Valley, CA.
Every time 15 lbs of corks (approximately 1650 corks) have been gathered from Mendocino County residents and businesses, they will be shipped to ReCORK (www.recork.org). ReCORK will then grind up the corks and provide the granulates to SOLE to be used in the manufacturing of their footbeds, socks and sandals for men and women.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the BARRA of Mendocino Winery and Re-CORK℠ to provide our members with the opportunity to put their wine corks to good use,” said Lori Rosenberg of Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op. “In a community of wine lovers, what better way to show our support of the environment than by keeping our landfills cork-free!” Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op has been serving the community for 34 years, specializing in organically grown foods. They have over 8,000 loyal community members who support and trust the co-op and vaue the goods and services provided.
Natural wine cork (no plastic or synthetic corks accepted) drop off locations for both consumers and businesses include the BARRA of Mendocino Winery, 7051 N. State Street, Redwood Valley (www.barraofmendocino.com) and the Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op, 721 South State Street in Ukiah (www.ukiahcoop.com). Both locations are open seven days a week. For more information regarding cork recycling, call BARRA of Mendocino at 707.485.8771.
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