Bacardi has marked its 161st anniversary on 4 February by planting a tree for every employee worldwide.
The trees will be planted in India, Nepal, Indonesia, Ecuador and Madagascar, with the 11 species used chosen carefully for suitability to the local environment and community.
These locations have been selected as they represent areas where Bacardi sources ingredients for its brand, including Bacardi Rum, Bombay Sapphire, Patron and Martini Vermouth.
Dave Ingram, Chief Supply Chain Officer, for Bacardi, explained the importance of these regions.
“We care deeply about the farmers who grow our beautiful ingredients and take great pride in the strong relationships we’ve spent decades building with these communities,” Ingram said.
“Planting these trees on their doorsteps is another way of giving back as we invest in their future and in protecting the environment for generations to come.”
Every Bacardi employee will receive a special anniversary edition bottle of the brand’s flag rum bottling, Carta Blanca, which will feature a QR code that will enable them to track the progress of their tree.
Mahesh Madhavan, CEO of Bacardi, explained that this initiative forms part of the company’s wider ESG and sustainability program, called Good Spirited.
“As a family-owned company, doing the right thing is in our DNA, and all of us at Bacardi share that passion for taking care of the environment,” Madhavan said.
“By creating our very own Bacardi forests, we can all take pride in having our own positive impact and being part of our company’s legacy for the next 161 years and beyond.”
In addition to the trees planted around the world, 161 coconut palms will be planted in Puerto Rico, home of the Bacardi Rum distillery. The trees will help to regenerate an area of beach that has suffered considerable hurricane damage, and have a symbolic value, recalling ‘El Coco’, a tree that was planted at the original Cuban distillery in 1862, and became an emblem of the company after surviving wars, fire and earthquakes.
Moreover, the company will also plant 100 cedar saplings at a Bermuda nature reserve. These trees will grow to provide habitats for birds, including the Bermudan Bluebird.
In all, the trees from Bacardi’s worldwide plantings are expected to capture 2.5m kg of CO2 during their lifetimes.