CUBAN TRANSITIONS

Our hotel in Havana, the Plaza Hotel, was an impressive introduction to Cuba. Although we first arrived in the wee hours of the morning, tired as can be, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of the hotel and the graciousness of the staff (serving us drinks, fruit, and sandwiches at that hour!).

After getting a good night’s sleep, I was in an even better position the following morning to appreciate the hotel. When I went to the fifth floor for breakfast, I was awed by the views off the rooftop patio.

One building that was right near our hotel I didn’t pay any particular attention to until, later, I noticed the engraving on it that said “Edificio Barcadi.”

The view of the Barcardi building from our hotel rooftop.

The entrance to the Bacardi Building.

The Bacardi family and its company came up a few times in class and in our readings, but overall very briefly, so I was eager to find out more.

Don Facundo Bacardí Massó was born in Spain in 1814, but moved to Cuba in 1830. Rum was a popular alcoholic drink in Cuba at the time due to the availability of sugar, but it was not considered to be a sophisticated drink. Facundo experimented with making rum and is credited with creating the first white rum. In 1862 Facundo founded the Bacardi company with his brother, José, in Santiago de Cuba. The bat logo is a tribute to the fruit bats that lived in the distillery.

The company was taken over in time by Facundo’s sons, Emilio, Facundo, and José. In the 1880s and 90s the Cuban War of Independence made business difficult; various members of the Bacardí family were imprisoned or exiled. According to the Bacardi website, the still-popular Cuban drink, Cuba Libre, which is made with white rum, coca cola, and lime, was invented at the end of the war to celebrate.

By 1910, the Bacardi company had expanded to Spain, making it Cuba’s first multi-national company. In 1915, it expanded to the United States. However, the company in the US was soon forced to shut down due to Prohibition, which encouraged US tourists to go to Cuba.

Bacardi advertisement taking advantage of Prohibition in the US.

The new Art Deco Bacardi Building in Havana, opened in 1930, also attracted many tourists.

Close up of part of the Bacardi Building

Bacardi continued to expand across the world during the next few decades. However, after the triumph of the Cuban revolution, the Bacardi company in Cuba was seized by the government. As quoted by the Bacardi website, “The loss amounted to more than $76 million dollars (calculated at a 4.3% compound annual growth rate the loss was in excess of $415.5 million) and 90 percent of the Company’s volume.”

The company rebuilt itself in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil, the United States, the Bahamas, Canada, Bermuda, and Spain. In the 1990s, Bacardi began buying many other spirits companies, to expand its list of spirits produced to include: Bacardi rum, Grey Goose vodka, Dewar’s Blended Scotch whisky, Bombay Sapphire gin, Martini & Rossi vermouth and Asti, Eristoff vodka, and Cazadores blue agave tequila.

Bacardi today is the largest privately owned spirits company in the world, and has been owned by seven generations of the Bacardi family to date. However, Bacardi is no longer sold in Cuba. Instead, the main brand of rum is the government-run company, Havana Club.

Sources:

http://www.bacardilimited.com/PressRelease/FactSheet

http://www.bacardiusa.com/home/history.aspx?cat=early

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/21/AR2008082102222.html