Rotterdam entrepreneur turns waste into wine
Rotterdam Urban Winery is the proud pioneer of turning surplus table grapes, which would otherwise end up discarded, into sparkling wines.
With a unique approach and urban terroir, Rotterdam Urban Winery (RUW) says it is making wine to enjoy and that is sustainable, more fun and tasty.
Rotterdam entrepreneur Wouter Bijl notes how food waste is a major problem in society with much loss via rubbish in homes as well as in the trade.
“During the first corona years, we started processing a lot of residual fruit in the ciders we made,” Bijl recalls. “Quite quickly, there was also a question whether we could do something with grapes. Rotterdam is the largest importer of grapes in Europe and unfortunately it often happens that large quantities of grapes are left over. This amounts to millions of kilos per year. Until now, no one has used this flow and with the ambition of the UN to halve food waste by 2030, I knew we had to take action”
Bijl looked at wine as a logical solution, but was unsure how to achieve wine from table grapes.
After a number of tests, it quickly became clear that with the right attention, “very interesting wines” can certainly be made from table grapes.
It was also immediately clear that this would not be a quick and easy journey.
“It felt like a project with enormous potential, but only with a healthy budget,” he says.
In 2022, RUW was awarded a subsidy from CityLab010.
Bijl says he heralded this “fantastic start” for the circular business model, but even this was not enough for his plan.
After writing all kinds of business plans and pitch decks, approaching partners and investors, it took more than a year before RUW was finally able to get an innovation loan from Rabobank.
Bijl continues: “It was apparently necessary for the process, but of course I would have preferred to spend that time saving grapes and making special wines. It turns out that financing for circular initiatives without IP or high-tech is difficult to find. Even from specific funds in the field of food waste there were the necessary rejections. As far as I’m concerned, this is worrying if we want to achieve that ambition of halving food waste by 2030.”
After more than three years of fighting, falling and getting up, RUW launched its first wines: a sparkling white and a rosé.
Both have a unique character and a striking label. Furthermore, in the autumn of 2024 RUW plans to open a circular winery in the cellar of the Keilepand, an industrial hub in the heart of Rotterdam’s Makers District.
The M4H area, the old fruit harbours, is considered the perfect location for RUW as its close to the city and yet still in the raw harbour area.
“In our wine lab we will of course try out all kinds of grape varieties and vinification methods. You can think of barrel aging but also méthode champenoise or carbonic maceration,” Bijl notes. “But it will also be a place for tastings and wine experiences. A place full of wonder, experiment and above all a lot of fun.
“The past few years have been quite hectic: corona certainties including associated debts, a bankruptcy, a partner who chooses a different path and an expansion of the family. A big rollercoaster with a number of peaks but also many deep valleys. The wounds have not yet healed, but I have many beautiful things to look forward to. The deep urge to contribute to a better world for us and our children gives me that little bit of extra energy to do even more. I am grateful that I have met so many beautiful and nice people on this adventure who want to join in, thank you for that.”
