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On July 11, 2024, the virtually carbon-neutral, wind-powered Grain de Sail II cargo boat laden with organic coffee, artisanal chocolates, and biodynamic French wines to be sold on the US market docked at Pier 17 in New York City’s South Street Seaport. It was its second stop on a three-leg journey that starts in Saint-Malo, France where some of these products are manufactured before being brought to New York City and ends in the Carribean, where medicines and other forms of humanitarian aid are distributed in partnership with an NGO before the ship is restocked with raw materials for some of these products prior to returning to Europe. The ship makes five trips annually.
Like its predecessor Grain de Sail, Grain de Sail II demonstrates that the incorporation of modern navigational tools with the old way of sailing the ocean — harnessing the power of nature — is not only a more environmentally sustainable method of transporting goods that reduces carbon emissions by over 90%, but in many ways, one that is more efficient. The roughly 170-foot-long aluminum ship has a payload capacity of 350 tons and can unload cargo approximately 30% to 40% faster than traditional vessels because it is equipped with cranes located directly on its deck, a feature that reduces potential wait times at the dock. The Grain de Sail II also has a wine cellar and temperature and humidity-controlled spaces onboard to help ensure that all perishable products arrive at their destination as fresh as on the day they were loaded.
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The Morlaix, Brittany-based Grain de Sail company was established in 2012 by twin brothers Olivier and Jacques Barreau who applied their background in renewable energy toward developing a cargo boat that could transport goods across the Atlantic Ocean with minimal impact on the environment. The company transports fair-trade chocolate and coffee produced in its own factories, organic and biodynamic wines from producers throughout France, and luxury goods including clothing, accessories, and fine art to New York-based retailers and distributors. You can find Grain de Sail chocolates in a variety of flavors ranging from milk chocolate and 70% dark chocolate to those containing raspberries and toasted sesame at Tin Building by Jean-Georges and other specialty stores.
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I recently toured the Grain de Sail II vessel with Herve Rousseau of Flute Champagne Bar in New York City. We had the pleasure of tasting some of Grain de Sail’s chocolates alongside an array of crisp and refreshingly acidic organic and biodynamic sparkling, white, rose’, and red wines from Alsace and other regions in France.
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