BACCARDI

Rum in the New World was indirectly initiated by Christopher Columbus, who brought cane from the Canary Islands to the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean. At the end of the 19th century, rum was a liquor considered to be hard, rough, unfinished, and inexpensive, once reserved for the Caribbean pirates. It was not consumed by the elite society, neither served in fine establishments.

In the later part of the 19th century, a wine merchant named Thursday Facundo Bacardi Massó changed the population of rum. Thursday Facundo who was emigrated from Spain to the colonial city of Santiago de Cuba began to experiment with the distillation of rum in his own house. His goal was to find a recipe that would "civilize" rum using European methods. He experimented with every step of the process, including the quality of the raw materials, fermentation and distillation. Then he has gone one step never tried before: the mellow rum through filtration to remove impurities. Continuation of his experiments with oak aging barrels and mixing techniques, Don Facundo catalogued his work as a scientist and evaluated the results as a connoisseur.

Finally, Don Facundo Bacardi that the nature of the mind that the standards are met. His rum were mellower and more sophisticated than other rum. By comparison, the local rum seemed more brooding, heavy, and medicines. Facundo Thursday the potable surprising new light rum and dark, rich, older sipping rum had a unique quality to them.
In the beginning, Facundo enthusiastic welcome friends and neighbors with his new kind of rum. However, if a real entrepreneur, Facundo soon begin to sell. People would their empty bottles and jars to fill. Yet he saw the greater the potential of companies and purchased and the old tin distillery with a copper and cast iron alembic to launch "mass". He personally tested the quality of each bottle and he signed with his signature.

The popularity of the rum made by Don Facundo soared from foot to foot, but if the majority of Cubans were illiterate at that moment, an emblem was necessary for everyone to recognize his rum, which will be sold in its own bottle at the local branches. Bats were identified closely with rum, because during the night, berry-eating bats would crawl their way into the distillery. Is regarded as a good luck omen in the Cuban tradition of the bats were allowed to stay and later were employed as a brand for Bacardi Rum, now on every bottle. On February 4, 1862 Bacardi y Compañía (Bacardi & Company).

The initial success of the company not long as the Cuban economy floundered during the 1890s. The company was thrown into an even larger turnmoil as the Cuban revolution to gain independence from Spain intensified and Don Facundo's son, Emilio, then head of the company, was captured put and later forced into exile. Fortunately, after Cuba independent from Spain in 1902, the Bacardi company starts growing again.



Booming Business

For Bacardi, the "Roaring Twenties" were a period of growth and expansion. Prior to his death, Emilio Bacardi, Facundo's son, founded a new distillery in Santiago de Cuba. Meanwhile, the architect for expansion ", Don Facundo the son-Henri Schueg, began to enlarge the basis for the growth of trade. During that decade, he supervised the construction of two bottling plants, one in Barcelona, Spain and the other in New York City.
Meanwhile, the result of the ban, the bottling plant in New York closed its doors, while Cuba was fast becoming the destination of many American tourists are attracted by Bacardi's early advertising campaigns: "Come to Cuba and Baden in Bacardi rum". Intellectuals and artists from around the world flocked to Havana, at that time known as the "Paris of the New World" to enjoy the extravagant life. Tourists flocked to the grand casinos, where they played roulette, a Cuban cigar smoked, sipped rum and the age of daiquirís enjoyed, mojitos or Cuba Libres.

The years 1930 were a time when the Compañía Ron Bacardi SA continued its expansion outside Cuba. Prior to the repeal of the ban at a bottling plant was opened in Mexico City and later a distillery was built in Puerto Rico. But, as a result of protectionism and unfair practices, the company was involved in two lawsuits whose outcome will ultimately determine the future of the Bacardi rum brand.

While as the fourth president of the company, Henri Schueg successfully defended the right to the Bacardi company to use its name on Bacardi rum from Puerto Rico. His second victory came in New York during the Bacardi Cocktail event when it was established that "a Bacardi Cocktail is only a Bacardi Cocktail when made with BACARDI rum."

The years 1940 were plagued by the upheavals of the Second World War. In New York City, the company founded Bacardi Imports, which since the U.S. marketing and sales arm of the Puerto Rican society. In the years 1950, Bacardi began with the construction of the "La Galarza distillery in Mexico, a new distillery in Puerto Rico and a bottling plant in the suburbs of Mexico City. Plans begun for the construction of another Bacardi distillery in Recife, Brazil .

Internationalization

On October 14, 1960, after 98 years of his life in Cuba, the Cuban assets of Compañía Ron Bacardi SA were seized by the new Cuban regime led by Fidel Castro. The Bacardi family, along with thousands of their compatriots fled the island nation as exiles. The Bacardis devoted to re-focus on expanding their business abroad.
The holding companies in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Brazil provided the basis for further internationalisation. In fact, both the Mexican and Puerto Rican operations was outearning the Cuban operations since the years 1940. During the sixties, Bacardi completed new production facilities in Brazil, Bahamas, and Canada, to the ever increasing demand for their rum. They have also moved Bacardi Imports from New York to Miami, Florida.

The time from the middle of the years 1960 through jaren'70 saw the phenomenal growth of Bacardi rum across the world. New facilities were built in Spain, Panama, and an office building in Bermuda. The sale of Bacardi rum were propelled through publicity campaigns, such as' Bacardi mixes with everything except… driving. "In 1966, as a result of increased sales and popularity, the giant Coca-Cola Company agreed to advertise with the liquor, creating the ever-popular" Rum & Coke. "By 1978, Bacardi rum had become the number selling a spirit brand in the United States.

In the years 1990, the Bacardi company was consolidated into Bacardi Limited, with its headquarters in Hamilton, Bermuda. In an attempt to diversify and enlarge the European markets, the company bought a majority stake in Martini & Rossi in 1993. Two years later, has launched Bacardi rum Limón, the most successful new premium spirits brand ever introduced. In 1998, Bacardi bought the Dewar's Scotch whisky and Bombay gin brands from Diageo.



Today

Thursday Facundo Bacardi's heritage lives on. Passing down its secret formula under his descendants, he drew one of the world's most famous international brands. Approximately 500 descendants of one's own company. Today, Bacardi remains the only major non-listed spirits company, with more than 6000 dedicated employees and a presence in 170 countries. Bacardi is the world's second largest alcoholic company in terms of global volume of cases.

Bacardi rum is associated with Puerto Rico, because the rum in the U.S. is in that island and it is clearly marked as such in the bottles for the U.S. market. Moreover, if you ever traveled to Puerto Rico, you will most likely his visit to the largest distillery in the world, what happens if the Bacardi Rum Factory, based in the port of San Juan. During the Cold War, marketing the Bacardi rum as Cuba would not have been very well received by the American people. Now, with the changing times, Bacardi has finally mentioning the Cuban descent in the back label of his bottles of rum, making the appropriation for the long-standing heritage, which began in Santiago.

For more information on Bacardi, the Latin American marketing strategy and future challenges, meet the third annual Latin American Business Conference on Friday 6 april. Our Keynote address will be Angel Torres, chairman of Bacardi Corporation. This year's conference will also cover the most urgent political, economic, marketing, technology and financial issues in Latin America. As an added bonus, participants will have a chance to sample delicious dishes from various Latin American countries. For the conference, with participants information and registration, please visit www.hlbsa.com. This conference is by Spanish and Latin Business Student Association (HLBSA).