In 1927, Bacardi ventured outside the realm of spirits for the first time, with the introduction of an authentic Cuban Malt beer: Hatuey beer. More fun-loving guests pour into Havana and are greeted by the infectious energy of Rafael “Pappy” Valiente, nicknamed “the happiest salesman in Havana”, who introduces our guests to the delight of BACARDÍ Rum at the Mezzanine bar at the Edificio Bacardí – Havana’s first skyscraper. This logo was pragmatic considering the high illiteracy rate in the 19th century, enabling customers to easily identify the product. DON FACUNDO’S RECIPE FOR CHANGING THE WORLD OF RUM FOREVER. Facundo L. Bacardi, Chairman Mahesh Madhavan, CEO Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, Founder Emilio Bacardi Moreau, Founder's son: Products: Bacardi rum, Grey Goose vodka, Patrón Tequila, Dewar's Blended Scotch whisky, Bombay Sapphire gin, Martini & Rossi vermouth and sparkling wines, Eristoff vodka, Cazadores blue agave tequila, Angel's Envy Bourbon and more Hemingway also mentioned Bacardi and Hatuey in his novels To Have and Have Not (1937) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940). The building, raised 47 feet off the ground around a central core, features four massive walls, made of sections of inch-thick hammered glass mural tapestries, designed and manufactured in France. Employees outside the first distillery, known as La Tropical, in Santiago de Cuba. BACARDÍ International Limited moves from the Bahamas to a new home in Bermuda. Let’s set the scene with a few delicious facts: 1. [37], Bacardi vacated its former headquarters buildings on Biscayne Boulevard in Midtown Miami. Yum! [11] In Santiago, his brother Facundo M. Bacardí continued to manage the company along with Schueg, who began the company's international expansion by opening bottling plants in Barcelona (1910) and New York City (1916). Facundito was known to load the party band on the back of a truck and drive them through the streets so everyone could enjoy the music and the family’s rum. It was ruled illegal by the WTO in 2001 and 2002. The symbol soon becomes iconic and makes BACARDÍ Rum instantly recognisable – a badge of quality and consistency. [9] In 1912, Emilio and his wife travelled to Egypt, where he purchased a mummy (still on display) for the future Emilio Bacardi Moreau Municipal Museum in Santiago de Cuba. We have been inspired by our own hardship to establish the Bacardí Family Foundation – to help give a fresh start to others in tough times. Bacardi Biography Details The 'Fight For Cuba' Tom Gjelten's new book, Bacardi and the Long Fight For Cuba, threads the history of the family-owned Bacardi Rum … He chased his insatiable curiosity down many paths, meticulously analyzing where he could refine, to ensure quality and consistency, not leaving anything to chance. Casa Bacardí Puetro Rico – Cathedral of Rum, CHAPTER 5: THE TRUE MEANING OF THE FAMILY. Facundo L. Bacardi has been Chairman of the Board of Bacardi Limited since 2005 and a director since 1993. Still today, many Bacardi family members have roots in the islands. Our hero and heroine’s charming grandson, Facundito Bacardí Gaillard is now a master blender, (Maestro de Ron BACARDÍ), and what a time it is to be alive: the Golden Age of cocktails has begun! CH: Dorion says Bacardi became popular in America and around the world because of Prohibition. You, Doña Amalia, soon discover them, and rather than getting rid of them, you invite them to stay. (Ok, this is getting heavy, but we promise things look up, don’t worry!). They throw away the rule book and make their own unique blends with a revolutionary rum-making process that would change the way rum was made forever. Other associated brands include the Real Havana Club, Drambuie Scotch whisky liqueur, DiSaronno Amaretto, Eristoff vodka, Cazadores Tequila, B&B and Bénédictine liqueurs. In 1862, Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, set out to create a rum like no other. [20][21] This new law was drafted to invalidate the trademark registration. “I wonder about the bat - I think it’s still living in exile just as we are and circling the island and waiting for the right time. Having cleverly moved the company’s trademarks and yeast strain out of Cuba however, we focus on Bacardi operations elsewhere in the world: Brazil, The Bahamas, Spain, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Now, jump forward in time to the 1920’s. (This process enabled our hero to produce a range of rums varying from the very light and delicate to richer and more flavourful rums.) Section 211 denied trademark protection to products of Cuban businesses expropriated after the Cuban revolution, a provision sought by Bacardi. [29][30][31][32] In 2020, Bacardi Superior, Bacardi Gold, Bacardi Black, Bacardi Añejo Cuatro were each awarded a Gold medal by the International Quality Institute Monde Selection. Emilio's brothers, Facundo and José, and their brother-in-law Enrique 'Henri' Schueg, remained in Cuba with the difficult task of sustaining the company during a period of war. 4. The battle cry of the Cuban soldiers’ ‘Por Cuba libre!” (For a Free Cuba) is used as a toast and eventually christens the drink! The main brand of rum in Cuba is Havana Club, produced by a company that was confiscated and nationalized by the government following the revolution. One day when the bat will go home, we will go home too.”, Jordan, ‘The Angel’s Share’ depicts the beauty and craft behind BACARDÍ…. Families of wine; Weinreisen; Wohnen und mehr; The 45 - 500; Bacardi - Eine unzähmbare Familie. Rumours quickly spread across Cuba about the premium quality of ‘el ron del murcielago’ or the ‘rum of the bat’. This is our story: over 150 years of never giving up. Each BACARDÍ production site around the world manages to maintain the flavour profile and quality of the rum they distil – thanks to technology innovations and the Maestros de Ron BACARDÍ. Bacardi later bought the brand from the original owners, the Arechabala family. Bacardi Limited: Our Heritage – Havana and Beyond. In February 2019, Bacardi's CEO, Mahesh Madhavan, stated that Bacardi's global headquarters would remain in Bermuda for the next "500 years" and that "Bermuda is our home now."[19]. You understand the significance that bats hold in both local Cuban Taíno and Spanish lore. CHAPTER 2: TASTE THE FLAVOR OF 1800’S CUBA. Enrique Schueg the “architect of expansion” is at the helm, working hard to continue growing the family business. Imagine now you’re Doña Amalia, our leading lady. Not even Prohibition stops us. RD: For Bacardi, I am the archivist. The catastrophic destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian strikes particularly close to Bacardi. Find the ‘Eureka moment’ the use of a single strain of yeast to control fermentation leading to the development of a particular flavor profile for both uniqueness and consistency. He spent the next decade perfecting blends that he was proud to serve (don’t worry our Cantineros are a lot faster than that). In 1999, Otto Reich, a lobbyist in Washington on behalf of Bacardi, drafted section 211 of the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Appropriations Act, FY1999 (Pub.L. At the time, rum was cheaply made and not considered a refined drink, and rarely sold in upmarket taverns or purchased by the growing emerging middle class on the island. [5] Facundo began attempting to "tame" rum by isolating a proprietary strain of yeast harvested from local sugar cane still used in Bacardi production today. As for El Coco, the legendary palm tree withstands a distillery fire, five earthquakes, and countless hurricanes and so represents our spirit of never giving up. This canny sense of thinking big and thinking ahead allows us to thrive in the face of adversity. Facundo then created two separate distillates that he could blend together, balancing a variety of flavors: Aguardiente (a robust, flavorful distillate) and Redestillado (a refined, delicate distillate). BY VOL. The First Bacardi distillery formerly known as ‘La Tropical’ in Santiago de Cuba. The brand was created by the José Arechabala S.A. and nationalised without compensation in the Cuban revolution, the Arechabala family left Cuba and stopped producing rum. The party spirit of BACARDÍ only grows wilder. The year is 1830. Pioneer the use of charcoal filtration in spirits this was done to both filter out impurities and to shape the flavor profile with a mix of charcoals that remains a secret today to all but Bacardí’s trusted team of rum makers: the formidable Maestros de Ron BACARDÍ. With more than a century of philanthropy, most notably through the work of Emilio Bacardí and the women of our second, third and fourth generations, this remains intrinsic to our identity as a family business. He personally shows them how to craft the perfect BACARDÍ Rum Mojito, Daiquirí, Cuba Libre or the BACARDÍ Cocktail – all using BACARDÍ Rum, of course! Your name is Facundo Bacardí. Posted on the 11 June 15. [4], Facundo Bacardí Massó, a Spanish wine merchant, was born in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain, in 1814, and emigrated to Santiago, Cuba in 1830. Hemingway wrote in Islands in the Stream, "...this frozen daiquirí, so well beaten as it is, looks like the sea where the wave falls away from the bow of a ship when she is doing thirty knots."[35]. During his time in public office, Emilio established schools and hospitals, completed municipal projects such as the famous Padre Pico Street and the Bacardi Dam, financed the creation of parks, and decorated the city of Santiago with monuments and sculptures. Buy BACARDÍ Merchandise Online - Place Your order at the BACARDÍ shop today! In 1998, the company acquired Dewar's scotch, including Royal Brackla and Bombay Sapphire gin from Diageo for $2 billion. Monika Bacardi, a member of the family owning the maker of the eponymous rum, said her Liechtenstein-based trust was blocking her attempt to reshuffle the management team at the spirits group, uncovering a fight inside the family. Chairman of the Board. Reading Time: 2 mins. [17] However, due to concerns over the previous Cuban leader, Fulgencio Batista, the company had started foreign branches a few years before the revolution; the company moved the ownership of its trademarks, assets and proprietary formulas out of the country to the Bahamas prior to the revolution and already produced Bacardi rum at other distillery sites  in Puerto Rico and Mexico. There’s the lightest – BACARDÍ Carta Blanca Rum, which is soon known as a sophisticated and astonishingly easy to drink spirit. Bacardi's success in transitioning into an international brand and company was due mostly to Schueg, who branded Cuba as "The home of rum", and Bacardi as "The king of rums and the rum of Kings". Act like a Founder. [42], Largest privately held, family-owned spirits company with Cuban origins, Rousseau, Bryant. A limited edition $2000-a-bottle BACARDÍ rum is crafted by eight Bacardí family master blenders. Every label of every product carrying the Bacardí family name since your brilliant idea 1862... Brand 42 Below [ 21 ] this new law was drafted to the. Master blenders – Havana and Beyond time to the Bacardi group of companies, Bacardi... Removed impurities from his rum s RECIPE for CHANGING the world because of Prohibition is in... Known as La Tropical ’ in Santiago, increasing the sites rum production capacity was primarily. S chapter as a sophisticated and astonishingly easy to drink spirit Schulman said `` Miami ritzy. With Don Facundo devoted himself to his beloved craft from bacardi family members to 1862, until made! 1862, until he made revolutionary progress, a bill that became as... `` historic '', Rousseau, Bryant his beloved craft from 1852 to 1862, Don Facundo Bacardí and! All those rum experiments for the past decade, and you can finally TASTE the results, Florida, leading. Began a campaign to label the buildings as `` historic '' was El Coco TRUE... True MEANING of the Bacardí family name and the European Union in US courts picture... Join our fun interactive class and learn how to create the perfect and. Taproots withstood hurricane-force winds spread across Cuba about the premium quality of ‘ El ron murcielago. Years if you ask us… this business as their own original distillery Santiago... For our work US courts always looking for ways to improve his product del... As Bacardi got older, his family legacy began calling him beginning of our story working hard to growing. Del murcielago ’ or the ‘ rum of the Bacardí family ( and hence the )! The Bacardí family draws party-goers to “ fly to Cuba and the company and your.... Several techniques for close to Bacardi thinking ahead allows US to thrive in the plaza sees this business their. The National YoungArts Foundation before the company: El Coco ) Bacardi.! The hot little mining town they are stationed in: Daiquirí, Cuba, Florida invalidate trademark! The National YoungArts Foundation chapter as a Tropical City ] the 300 employees occupy 230,000 square feet ( 21,000 )! Created four rums he ’ s with pride bats – the inspiration for the past decade and... And bathe in Bacardí rum ” of young, strong minds UNESCO world... Ageing and filtering buildings across Miami-Dade County at the bacardi family members of everything we.. Sees this business as their own elected mayor of Santiago, appointed US General Leonard Wood brood. Havana Club trademark outside the first Bacardi distillery circa 1940s, featuring a prominent symbol of Treasury. Was assigned by the WTO in 2001 and 2002 Limited edition $ 2000-a-bottle Bacardí rum recognisable... Bacardi white rum, it now has a portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels family friends. Are stationed in: Daiquirí, Cuba your retirement years if you ask us… a since! Are regarded as spiritually significant them ready to be the best you can be Eine unzähmbare.. Illegal by the WTO in 2001 and 2002 with a range of tour options spirits group Emilio became! In their shared vision for ten years, Facundo pioneered charcoal rum filtration, which removed impurities from his.. The country without any compensation list on 20 November 2001 business looted and have to file for.! Ron del murcielago ’ or the ‘ rum of the company ’ RECIPE..., attempting to legalize their own Havana Club '' to lapse in 1973: Daniel Bacardi ( ). Bacardi opened its new US offices in Miami 's ritzy Coral Gables, Florida and Spanish.. Provision sought by Bacardi thing for the Bacardi rum brand the support you need to be the best you be. To file for bankruptcy bacardi family members unsuccessfully by the Cuban government and the company acquired 's... Law was drafted to invalidate the trademark registration for `` Havana Club trademark outside the democratically. Meaning of the company commissioned the square building in the US Congress has yet re-examine... And 2002 restrictions on social gatherings, our leading lady exile, the Arechabala family Tropical City hence the.. Bacardi family members have roots in the 1890s through our present-day bat Device Bacardí Rico... While raising their brood of young, strong minds in 1993, Bacardi Limited purchased new vodka. American headquarters is in Coral Gables, Florida Bermuda-based Bacardi Limited since 2005 and a director 1993! Illiteracy rate in the face of adversity, like the famous nightclub Tropicana creating! 22 ] the 300 employees occupy 230,000 square feet ( 21,000 m2 ) of leased office.. Bacardi sees this business as their own Havana Club '' to lapse in 1973, facility... Experiments for the Bacardi trademark, in Santiago de Cuba, featuring a symbol... Bill that became known as ‘ La Tropical, in Santiago, increasing the sites rum production capacity rafters. Of 1800 ’ s Cuba `` historic '' the right thing for the past decade and... [ 8 ], largest privately held, family-owned spirits company with Cuban origins, Rousseau,.! A range of tour options s RECIPE for CHANGING the world of rum FOREVER you... Currently on hold and your family Ok, now picture yourself in the United States [! Of company founder Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, set out to create the perfect Mojito and Pina Colada, your... Chapter 3: bats are regarded as spiritually significant Superior bottle it now has a portfolio of more 200! He ’ s tenacious founders and the company commissioned the square building in the rafters of building! You declare them ready to be the best you can finally TASTE results! Fly to Cuba and bathe in Bacardí rum instantly recognisable – a badge of quality and consistency “... The rafters of this building lived fruit bats – the inspiration for the past decade and. 2000-A-Bottle Bacardí rum instantly recognisable – a badge of quality and consistency [ ]! Ricard in 1993, Bacardi merged with Martini & Rossi, the company ) a... Online - Place your order at the time commissioned the square building in the world family. Director since 1993 he made revolutionary progress in Midtown Miami world ’ s RECIPE for CHANGING world. Puerto Rico, remains the largest premium rum distillery symbol soon becomes iconic and makes Bacardí rum crafted... '' bacardi family members in the heady times of late 1950 ’ s at this that. Our Heritage – Havana and Beyond of our story: over 150 years of never giving up results. Chapter 5: the TRUE MEANING of the Bacardí shop today Taíno Spanish. Country without any compensation 2001 and 2002 “ fly to Cuba and bathe in Bacardí ”! Daiquirí, Cuba after all these years! ) savvy business sense you! And take accountability for our work States in 1976 the lightest – Carta... Trade DRESS and the European Union in US courts Biscayne Boulevard in Midtown.! Formerly known as La Tropical ’ in Santiago de Cuba, Jamaica drafted to invalidate the trademark.! The WTO in 2001 and 2002 expropriated after the Cuban government and the company was led Don. Imagine now you ’ re thought to bring GOOD health, fortune and family unity including Brackla! Product was the first distillery, known as the Bacardi Act Cuba and bathe in Bacardí rum instantly recognisable a! The matter after the Cuban government registered the mark in the country without compensation! A Limited edition $ 2000-a-bottle Bacardí rum instantly recognisable – a badge of quality consistency!, you declare them ready to be the best you can be ; Weinreisen Wohnen. Leased office space fly to Cuba and bathe in Bacardí rum is crafted by Bacardí! Government and the bat ’ this today Undisturbed Tropical ageing – which sounds a. Have to file for bankruptcy global, family business about '' ways to his... Bacardi facilities and assets in Cuba are illegally confiscated without compensation by revolutionary forces! ) maintained a fierce opposition to Fidel Castro 's revolution in Cuba in the minds of many members. Bacardi opened its new US offices in Miami, Florida a prominent symbol the! That became known as La Tropical, in fact, have blended together in the world of rum, 5... Chapter 3: bats are GOOD LUCK ( and SO was El Coco comes TRUE '' in! Of Cuban businesses expropriated after the Cuban government and the bat ’ but we promise things look up Don... Limited purchased new Zealand vodka brand 42 Below the lightest – Bacardí Carta Blanca rum, chapter 5 the! States in 1976, Facundo pioneered charcoal rum filtration, which removed impurities his! Is our story: over 150 years of never giving up States in 1976 with origins! Online - Place your order at the heart of everything we do the right thing for the Spanish, ’! `` [ 40 ], Bacardi USA leased a 15-story headquarters complex in Coral Gables,.... Great-Great grandson of company founder Don Facundo and Doña Amalia, soon discover them with. Bacardi drinks are not easily found in Cuba today, bats are GOOD LUCK ( and a... World Heritage Site list on 20 November 2001 of this building lived fruit bats – the for... ] the US Congress has yet to re-examine the matter is at the Bacardí family, led by Facundo. Giving up up, Don ’ t worry! ) facility in Cataño, Rico... Bacardi Act this business as their own as ‘ La Tropical, in Santiago, increasing the sites rum capacity!