Push to protect Barbados rum
02 October 2021
A geographical indication refers to a name used to identify products that come from a particular place and to protect the quality and reputation of a distinctive product originating from a certain region.
Executive Chairman of R L Seale and Company Limited, Richard Seale, told the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the company and The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, that the move will protect the standards from which Barbados rum is made, as well as ensure the use of local expertise in the production process.
“It’s quite remarkable that as, in the 20
th Century, the sugar industry declined, rum went from modest exports, eventually surpassing sugar to be the second largest earner of foreign exchange in Barbados. And today Barbados is actually one of the top ten countries in the world (that are) exporters of rum. And not only do we have that preeminence in terms of volume, but we have a tremendous preeminence in terms of quality,” he said.
The MOU seeks to generate research into the history of rum in Barbados, and to support the island’s UNESCO World Heritage Nomination project on the Industrial Heritage of Barbados: the Story of Sugar and Rum.
“One of the reasons why we’re working through the university is it reflects our nature. Foursquare has a reputation for a product of high integrity and authenticity, and we felt that the correct way to carry out this project is to do it … with the university so that the research will be completely independent, and not tailored by any specific corporate interest. We’re not interested necessarily in a business history, we want to do a full social, cultural and economic history of Barbados rum,” Seale said.
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