3rd May, 2018 by Nicola Carruthers

Flor de Caña rum has become one of the first spirit brands in the world to receive Fairtrade certification.

The certification with Fair Trade USA, the leading certifier of Fair Trade products in North America, covers areas like safe working conditions, protection of fundamental human rights and environmental best practices.

The partnership with Fair Trade USA will come into effect by mid-2018.

It assures that with every purchase of a bottle of Flor de Caña , the workers earn a financial premium called the Community Development Fund. The fund allows workers to choose how the money is used on projects of their choosing.

Flor de Caña is committed to sustainable practices – the rum has been distilled using 100% renewable energy for over a decade.

For the past 12 years, Flor de Caña has planted 50,000 trees annually to help protect the environment.

“In the global spirits, wine and beer industry there is still more that can be done in terms of sustainability,” said Eduardo Pellas, CEO of Flor de Caña

“We’ve been distilling our rums with 100% renewable energy for over 10 years and this has been certified by Lloyd’s Register. Some companies are just starting to adopt these practices.

Among the company’s plans for the future, Pellas aims to have a “fully sustainable production cycle”. Currently all CO 2 generated during the fermentation is captured and recycled.

“Our next goal is to have completely green packaging, made from 100% recycled material,” he added.

Paul Rice, president and CEO of Fair Trade USA, has welcomed the partnership with Flor de Caña.

“In the spirits industry, the trend toward environmental sustainability and social responsibility is just beginning,” he said.

“Flor de Caña is one of the early trailblazers in this space, and is one of just a few spirits companies to adopt fair trade practices in their supply chain. We’re excited by this partnership and the ripple effect that it’s poised to create.”

Flor de Caña is not the only fair trade-certified spirit in the world, Alexandre Koiransky launched Fair in 2009 – a collection of ethically-produced spirits and liqueurs from France.

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