OUR MISSION

ABOUT RHODORA

From the team behind the sustainable Brooklyn concepts Rucola, June and Purslane, Rhodora Wine Bar strives to be the first zero waste wine bar of its kind in the country.

Sustainability and respect for humans and the environment are the core tenants of the program and guide both the food and beverage choices, as well as the operations of the restaurant as a whole.

The Oberon Group has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and combating climate change. With the opening of Rhodora, owner Henry Rich and director Halley Chambers have built a program that will send absolutely nothing to landfill. No single-use plastics will be utilized or accepted into the space, and the group will only source and utilize products across its food, beverage, and operations that can be recycled, up cycled, or composted. Decisions around food and beverage are guided by this foundational ethos - a commitment to minimizing waste wherever and however possible. Similarly, decisions around staffing and our business model are guided by sustainability and respect for the people who work in the space.

The concept’s menu celebrates natural, low-intervention wine with accompanying conservas, or tinned fish, rounded out by cheese and vegetable offerings to snack on or to enjoy as a full meal. By featuring small-farm, natural winemakers, the Rhodora team partners with wine producers who share a similar respect for the land and environment, working against the often harmful impacts of large-scale wine manufacturing.

In addition to the space’s commitment to the environment, Rhodora is reimagining the typical restaurant hierarchy, putting forward a new staffing model where team members are cross-trained to excel at each position in the space. In eliminating the traditional divide between front of house and back of house, Rhodora aims to cultivate a culture of respect and empathy for each position and role. In addition, the staff will receive ten percent of profits on a quarterly basis.

ABOUT THE FOOD & BEVERAGE

Rhodora’s beverage program highlights not only natural wine producers, but also mission-driven beverage partners, such as Yola Mezcal, Grimm Ales and House of Waris teas. The fully natural wine list will by curated by owner Henry Rich, who also owns June (Brooklyn’s first natural wine bar, opened in 2015). The food program is inspired by conservas tapas bars popular in Portugal and Barcelona. The menu features oysters, tinned fish, antipasti and local cheese. Åll of Rhodora’s food partners have pledged to use packaging materials that can be composted or recycled, and in many cases, are working to create closed-loop delivery systems in which the vessel of delivery is returned and reused. Food partners include Marlow & Daughters, She Wolf Bakery, D’eon Oysters and A Priori Distribution. Each of these vendors are working directly with Rhodora to reduce waste in their packaging. Rhodora’s food program is structured both to minimize waste and maximize the ability of a cross-trained team to execute on a delicious but relatively uncomplicated food program.

By offering shelf stable tinned fish in portioned servings, hard cheeses with long shelf lives, and pickled vegetables, Rhodora strives to minimize the amount of waste created in normal restaurant operations, minimize the need to bring extraneous cleaning products or solutions into the space, and create a program that is maximally friendly to the environment. Aluminium and tin is the most easily recyclable of all materials and also one of the most valuable.

ABOUT THE OBERON GROUP

The Oberon Group is a beloved community-driven restaurant group established by Henry Rich. The group’s philosophy on sustainability is ultimately an extension of their commitment to hospitality and service through Rhodora, Rucola, June, and the first zero-waste and carbon neutral catering company, Purslane. The Oberon Group has also consulted on food programs at Metrograph, Public Records, Nowadays and Threes at Franklin + Kent. Each concept is driven by the group’s commitment to the environment, and The Oberon Group umbrella will be 100% carbon-neutral by the end of 2019.