Sydney Rum Distillery has announced the acquisition of small batch spiced rum brand Cargo Cult, as part of its ‘House of Australian Rum’ portfolio.
Cargo Cult currently offers a Dry Spiced and a Banana Spiced rum in its portfolio, with Australian distribution handled by Think Spirits (Amber Beverage Group). The spirits themselves are sourced from South Pacific distilleries, before being blended and spiced in Australia.
As part of the deal Cargo Cult Founder Jonny Croft will join Sydney Rum Distillery as Chief Marketing Officer, and as a Director.
Croft was also on-hand to comment on the purchase, saying: “It is a fantastic fit, great to share the vision and potential of Cargo Cult showcasing the best of South Pacific Rum to the premium global rum consumer.”
“It is time to scale and elevate our portfolio to a wider consumer audience across Europe and even into North America, whilst we support Amber Beverage here in Australia. We see huge opportunity in the rum category, with significant opportunity to drive premiumisation and invite in new consumers with authentic, unique and innovative brands,” Croft continued.
Cargo Cult’s UK distribution will also be handled by the local branch of Amber Beverage Group, Indie Brands, while the brand will be distributed by Zanzibar SRO within the Czech Republic.
Sydney Rum Distillery CEO, Steve Magarry stated that there is more to come from the company’s acquisition strategy.
“This is just the beginning of a strategic expansion that will include multiple rum industry opportunities across both Asia Pacific and Australia,” Magarry commented.
“Jonny has developed the Cargo Cult brand to-date – I look forward to the contribution he will make as part of the executive team. Our ‘House of Australian Rum’ portfolio strategy is to evaluate, collaborate and partner with alike-minded rum producers and brands as the industry expands.”
Likewise, Sydney Rum Distillery’s Chairman, David Ward, believes that Croft will “bring a wealth of industry sector experience gained over 20 plus years across Frucor-Suntory and Brown Forman in Australia and across global markets.”
Sydney Rum Distillery is still in the process of constructing its own distillery, which it says will rank in ‘the top 25 rum producers internationally by volume’ once complete.