OUR HISTORY

THE
BACARDÍ
STORY
8 MIN READ
 A FAMILY
HISTORY
LIKE NO OTHER
From a family dream in 1800’s Cuba, to
celebrating the moments that matter today
to our global community, this is the Bacardi
story – over 150 years of bringing people
together.
1862 – IT STARTS WITH A DREAM
Bacardi is founded on February 4 by Don Facundo
Bacardí Massó in Santiago de Cuba, when he buys a
small distillery and revolutionizes the rum-making
process to create a smooth, light-bodied spirit – what
the world now knows as BACARDÍ® rum.
Facundo’s wife, Doña Amalia notices a colony of fruit
bats hanging in the rafters of the distillery and
recognizes their importance to the Spanish and Cuban
Taíno Indians as symbols of good health, family unity,
and good fortune. She suggests adopting the bat as the
symbol of BACARDÍ rum and soon locals began to ask for
“el ron del murcielago” – the rum of the bat.
Facundo Bacardí Moreau (son of Don Facundo) plants a
coconut palm at the front of the new distillery.
Affectionately known as El Coco, the palm became a
symbol to the Bacardí family and company.
Withstanding a distillery fire, five earthquakes, and
countless hurricanes, El Coco symbolized strength and
resilience of the Bacardi company. Eventually, a local
prophecy grows around the palm tree:
1888 – Favorite of the famous
BACARDÍ rum’s popularity and reputation for quality
spreads like wildfire.
The company wins a gold medal at the Exposición
Universal de Barcelona and is appointed ‘Purveyor to
the Royal Spanish Household’. BACARDÍ establishes itself
as a favorite of the rich and famous.

1910 – New Horizons

Bacardi becomes Cuba’s first multi-national company by
opening operations in Barcelona Spain ‒ where
BACARDÍ rum is bottled outside Cuba for the first time –
and in New York City soon after to keep up with the
growing demand for BACARDÍ rum in the United States.

1920 – BANNED BUT NOT BEATEN

Prohibition goes into effect in the United States,
banning the manufacturing and sale of alcohol, and the
Bacardi bottling facility in New York shuts down.
The company turns adversity into success with a
campaign promoting Cuba as a tropical escape from the
“dry” United States. Americans flock to the island to
enjoy BACARDÍ rum, triggering growth for the company
as cocktail culture booms around the world.

1930 – AN ICONIC DESTINATION

As Prohibition carries on in the United States, Bacardi
unveils Havana’s first skyscraper: the iconic Edificio
Bacardí, designed by the architects Esteban Rodríguez-
Castells and Rafael Fernández Ruenes. The elegant black
and gold Art Deco lobby bar becomes a favorite hangout
for entertainers, tourists, celebrities and even the
Spanish royal family!

1930 – DOUBLING UP ON DISTILLERIES

Bacardi sets up facilities in Mexico and Puerto Rico ‒ to
date two of the largest production facilities within
Bacardi.
Mexico is the first country BACARDÍ rum is produced in
outside of Cuba. Today, the facility in Cataño, Puerto
Rico, is the largest premium rum distillery in the world.

1936 – PROTECTING THE BAT

Today, when a customer orders a BACARDÍ Piña Colada,
or another cocktail with BACARDÍ in the name, by law it
must be served only with BACARDÍ rum. In a landmark
consumer rights court case, in 1936, the New York
Supreme Court declared:
1960 – STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE
All Bacardi operations and assets in Cuba are illegally
confiscated without compensation by revolutionary
government forces on October 14, 1960, just shy of the
company’s 100th anniversary. This same year, the
prophecy of El Coco becomes a reality when, 98 years
since it was first planted by the family outside the
Bacardi distillery in 1862, the beloved palm withers and
dies.
The Bacardí family remains strong, though many are
forced to flee the island in exile. Having cleverly moved
the company’s trademarks and yeast strain out of Cuba
already, they continue operations in the United States,
Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain and The Bahamas.

1965 – A NEW LIFE

Bacardi International Limited moves from the Bahamas
to a new home in Bermuda. This strategic move creates
a bridge between Europe, where Bacardi sees growth
potential, and the U.S. where they are already well
established. It turns out to be a brilliant call and sparks a
time of spectacular success.
Seven years later, Bacardi International Limited unveils a
new office in Bermuda inspired by an original design by
renowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. These
designs were intended for a headquarters in Santiago de
Cuba that were never realized as the family and
business was forced into exile from the island in 1960.

1979 – GOING GLOBAL

BACARDÍ rum recognizes worldwide sales close to 16
million 9-liter cases making it the world’s number one
selling premium spirit brand.

1992 – BRINGING US TOGETHER

Bacardi Limited is formed, bringing together five
separate strategic operating units of the Company
(Bacardi International Limited – Bermuda; Bacardi &
Company Limited – Bahamas; Bacardi Corporation –
Puerto Rico; Bacardi Imports, Inc. – United States; and
Bacardi y Compañía S.A. de C.V. – Mexico).

1995 – ZEST FOR LIFE

Bacardi launches BACARDÍ Limón in the United States
and makes a BIG impression. The following year the
launch is hailed by the industry as “the most successful
new spirit launch of all time.”

1992 – BRINGING US TOGETHER

Bacardi opens the Casa BACARDÍ Visitor Center at the
Bacardi distillery in Cataño, Puerto Rico—a multimillion-
dollar, state-of-the-art tourist experience celebrating the
Bacardí family, company history, and unique qualities of
BACARDÍ rum. It remains a must-see attraction with a
range of tour options.
2009 – SETTING STANDARDS
Bacardi Limited achieves “Triple Crown” certification
and leads the industry as the only major spirits company
in the world to have all its facilities globally certified to
be operating in accordance with the world’s most
recognized standards for quality, environment, and
health and safety – ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS
18001 – putting the company among an elite group of
the world’s best-run companies.

2012 – BACARDÍ CELEBRATES 150 YEARS

On February 4, the company and BACARDÍ rum
celebrate their 150th anniversary – an extraordinary
milestone few companies reach. The historic birthday is
celebrated by millions with hundreds of parties
attended by consumers and celebrities around the
world. A major advertising campaign features the 1950s-
era heyday of BACARDÍ rum and a limited edition $2000-
a-bottle BACARDÍ rum is crafted by eight Bacardí family
master blenders.

2018 – PROGRESS FOR PEOPLE AND PLANET

Bacardi shares the environmental progress made under
the ‘Good Spirited: Building a Sustainable Future’
initiative and expands it to encompass all Corporate
Responsibility activity.
It now covers Marketplace (responsible marketing and
responsible drinking), Philanthropy & Community
Investment, and People, as well as the initial focus areas
of Responsible Sourcing and Environment. Efforts under
these pillars are aligned to the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

2019 CELEBRATING MOMENTS THAT MATTER

A new corporate strategy launches with the purpose of
celebrating moments that matter, one drink at a time.
The company unveils its vision to be the world’s leading
premiums spirits house, loved for our iconic brands, that
bring people together for exceptional drinks
experiences.
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