Environment Support

Bacardi

Bacardi Limited is the largest family owned spirits company in the world. The founder of Bacardi, Don Facundo Bacardi Masso, was a wine merchant who immigrated to Cuba from Catalonia in the early 19th century. On February 4th 1862, Don Facundo Bacardi Massa founded Bacardi in Santiago de Cuba. Today, Bacardi's headquarters are located in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Bacardi's Origins in Cuba

During its early origins, Bacardi's vision was to create a refined drink from rum that could be served in any environment. At the time, rum was cheaply made and rarely even served in taverns. In order to purify the drink, Don Facundo Bacardi Masso filtered rum through charcoal to remove impurities and aged the drink in oak barrels. This process created the world's first clear rum. Don Facundo Bacardi Masso and his brother Jose operated Bacardi's first distillery in Cuba where fruit bats inhabited the attic space. Thus, the black fruit bat became Bacardi's logo and an emblem of Bacardi's origins in Cuba.

Bacardi Products

Bacardi's products include spirits such as Bacardi Superior, Bacardi 151, Bacardi Oro, and Bacardi Black. Bacardi's famous cocktails include the Bacardi Cocktail and the Bacardi Cuba Libre. Desserts made with Bacardi include the Bacardi Cuban Rum Cake.

Key People at Bacardi Limited

Bacardi and the Environment

Bacardi has made a commitment to the environment as a part of Bacardi Limited's corporate responsibility policy. Bacardi aims to be the industry leader in management responsibility, and as such, as developed the Bacardi Environment, Health and Safety plan. Bacardi's Environment, Health, and Safety program is managed by Bacardi's EHS Steering Group, which is charged to ensure that all of Bacardi's operations are compliant with Global Standards and Global Practices by the fiscal year (March 2008) and that all of Bacardi's manufacturing facilities will be certified according to international standards by 2009.

Bacardi's efforts to be conscious of the environment include Bacardi's past partnership with the Stockholm Water Foundation. In 1995, Bacardi donated $2 million dollars to the Stockholm Water Foundation to promote environmental efforts to improve global water conservation. Bacardi's environmental support with Stockholm made it possible for a professorship in water resources, science and engineering to be founded by the Stockholm Foundation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Today, Bacard's EHS program publically documents Bacardi's environmental progress by devoting a portion of its website to reporting the company's use of water, and greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the environment section of Bacardi's website shows that in 2007, Bacardi converted 10% of its energy use to renewable energy, mainly biogas.

Bacardi's manufacturing plants use patented anaerobic digester technology to turn wastewater into energy. Bacardi's Michael Szendrey received honors from the EPA as an environmental achiever for developing Bacardi's method for treating wastewater in Puerto Rico in 1995. Bacardi's wastewater treatment system today converts methane into a fuel that generates steam, which powers Bacardi's machinery and makes up 30% of Bacardi's energy use at Bacardi's Catano plant in Puerto Rico. Bacardi's other plants, including Bacardi's Dewar distillery in Scotland, the Martini & Rossi plant in Pessione, Italy, and Bacardi's bottling facility in Jacksonville, Florida, have all implemented water conservation, renewable energy, greenhouse gas emission control, and waste management programs. Detailed information about the environmental progress made by each of Bacardi's facilities can be found at Bacardi Limited's website.

In addition to monitoring its energy efficiency, Bacardi has also made contributions to the Bahamas National Trust, a non-profit organization that helps protect and conserve the environment in addition to developing and managing a National Park system in the Bahamas. Specifically, Bacardi has made donations in support of Harrold and Wilson National Park, the first park designed for New Providence. Bacardi's donation to the environment through Bahamas National Trust will go to help wetlands and the extension of a boardwalk and viewing platform to observe 100 species of birds, including the endangered Bahama swallow.

Bacardi Environment Resources