Merriman’s Hawaii, a pioneer of regional Hawaii cuisine, is taking another step in its commitment to sustainability with a new boxed wine program. The initiative will significantly reduce the company’s carbon footprint due to the fuel used to ship and recycle traditional wine bottles.

The restaurant operator, which has locations on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and The Big Island, curated a special wine menu debuting this fall with Matthiasson Winery in Napa Valley, Melville in Santa Rita Hills and Linne Calodo in Paso Robles – California wineries that it believes are elevating the boxed wine experience with high-quality wines. 

“We wanted to work with wineries that produce high-quality wines, who also value sustainable practices and minimizing their carbon footprint,” says Merriman’s beverage director Jason Vendrell. “The program’s success requires that the quality of wine we serve is not compromised at all. By selecting these wineries, we can maintain our exceptional wine offerings while really making an impact.”

Chef Peter Merriman, who founded the company in 1988, has set a goal to make all Merriman’s locations carbon neutral. Merriman’s had transitioned to lighter-weight bottles for all its wine-by-the-glass programs in 2023, “but found they are often only lighter by 5% to 10%, and we wanted to make a larger impact,” Vendrell says. “Since everything we bring to the Islands comes via boat, there is even more of a necessity for us to cut back on those emissions.”

The initial rollout of the boxed wine program, which will also be available at Merriman’s sister locations at Handcrafted Restaurants, will replace 1,344 bottles with 336 boxes.

“We’ve taken some of our best sellers and transitioned to boxed wines with wineries we love working with, and with whom we have longstanding relationships,” says Vendrell. “Together, we aim to eliminate a substantial amount of glass bottles across restaurants and expect to cut our carbon footprint by over 50% with this project.”