CEO stands for “Chief Executive Officer,” but those three words do not seem to be enough to summarize the hard work of those who hold this position, at least in the rum industry.
These people have an eye for business, know every area of their company, supervise every operation, solve problems, give ideas, carry out projects, care about the environment, and also look after the welfare of the area where they are located while working to increase sales and distribution of the distillate they love so much.
The Ultimate Awards and The Rum Lab worked together to honor the work of CEOs in the rum industry. In 2022, each CEO was named The Ultimate & Most Admirable CEO. This is a group of six people who, at the heads of companies in the rum industry, break paradigms and make impressive corporate decisions that leave us in anticipation of what is coming.
This is an exclusive list of CEOs picked by The Rum Lab team for their outstanding job. The six people to be honored were chosen on merit, based on their achievements in 2022. As part of this recognition, The Ultimate Awards, and The Rum Lab, the entire group will receive a certificate at the Miami Rum Congress, which will be celebrated at the Hilton Cabana in Miami Beach, in February 2023, from February 10th to 12th. The ceremony will be held on Friday.
The CEOs mentioned in this review differ from each other and amaze us in different ways. We will talk about people who were born and raised among distilled spirits, as well as others who seem to have fallen into the rum industry by mere luck, but whose intelligence and professionalism clarify that there is no such thing as chance. We will read the stories of successful professionals who lost everything and started from scratch in an industry that sheltered them and that now they cannot leave aside, as well as those who only needed an introduction to rum from other countries to have the impulse to replicate that experience at home.
Some were told they were crazy. Others were viewed with suspicion for taking spaces “reserved” for others. Here they are, years later, signing contracts with major liquor companies, receiving awards, being admired for their techniques, and serving as spokespersons for the future.
These CEOs deserve our admiration for their hard work. Let’s meet them!
José “Pepe” Álvarez and the strength to stand up as many times as necessary
José “Pepe” Álvarez considers himself a farmer, despite the fact that he has not always worked the land in the same way. For 35 years, his landscaping business provided enough to live comfortably, but that changed in 2008, when Puerto Rico, his homeland and where he has always been established, went through a difficult economic period.
His business was on the ground, but Álvarez looked up and around: he had a farm where he got materials for his landscaping projects, and the place was large enough and ideal to start one of Puerto Rico’s most famous businesses: rum. But José would differ from the rest: his rum would be agricultural.
After traveling around the Caribbean looking for implements, gathering ideas, and talking to experts, Álvarez created his own distillery (San Juan Distillers) to produce Ron Pepón, his first brand of rum that is aged in American white oak barrels for two to three years.
That would not be the only time José would have to prove his mettle and creativity in business. In 2017, Hurricane Maria destroyed the strings of cane he had planted, but instead of letting that dampen his desire, three nails thrown among the crops gave him the idea for a new brand: TresClavos Rum, an all-natural cane rum that became the company’s best seller.
The capacity for reinvention, resilience, and the desire to keep working made possible the greatest achievement of this CEO in 2022, in his own words: the satisfaction of being able to build and maintain a project that until recently was a dream.
But that was not the company’s only achievement in 2022. Its sales increased by 100% compared to the previous year, and its distillery has become an important destination for agritourism in the area, with guided tours of the cellars, Casa Pepón, and the sugarcane fields. The visit ends with a tasting of 9 different rums.
2022 was also a year of learning for San Juan Artisan Distillers. The brand participated in eight different international events where they promoted their artisan rums, which are now available in Miami.
“Where there is a will, there is a way,” emphasizes Alvarez, a CEO who is not afraid of falling, because he always gets up quickly, wipes his knees, and walks with more strength.
The shocking news about José Rafael Ballesteros
Ron Diplomático made headlines around the world when it announced in October 2022 that Brown-Forman, a U.S. corporation with brands such as Jack Daniel’s, Finlandia, and Herradura in its portfolio, was buying this brand and all its assets in Spain.
According to the press release issued by the U.S. company, this was a key move for Brown-Forman’s expansion as it seeks to enter the premium and super premium rum category, something that José Rafael Ballesteros, CEO of Destilerías Unidas (the company that produces Diplomático and is better known as DUSA) made a reality by making wise decisions.
Having grown up in the world of distilled spirits production, José Rafael joined the family business and turned it around. After years of producing cocuy, in 2002 they bought Licorerías Unidas (LUSA) and some of its brands, including the famous Ron Diplomático, which has given him so much satisfaction.
Today, Ron Diplomático enjoys international recognition as it is distributed to over 100 countries, so Brown-Forman made a masterful move, allowing DUSA to continue making the iconic rum. It could not be otherwise, considering that the complex process takes place in the Venezuelan Andes.
Ron Diplomático was a pioneer in the development of the super-premium category of rum and did so while maintaining respect for the environment through sustainable production. With a distillery at the foot of the Andes Mountains in the state of Lara, the location is ideal for accessing sugar cane and other natural resources. It is shown that the brand reduced by half its consumption of water and plastics, while the use of cardboard and glass decreased by 75% during the production of rum.
Eighty percent of the energy used in production is self-supplied, leading to a reduction in the use of fossil fuels. In addition, 100% of the liquid waste is reused.
This prestige could only be achieved by a success-focused CEO who had a calendar year in 2022 full of victories.
Alexandre Gabriel always works from the heart
When Alexandre was a boy, his grandfather made sure his grandson knew how to work the land. On the family farm, he taught him how to graft trees, milk cows, and grow grapes, something Gabriel took with him to the business school he attended years later.
As part of a university project, Gabriel had to visit small producers and offer them advice on how to grow their businesses. So, in 1989, he came to Maison Ferrand, one of France’s oldest cognac houses that had a quality product but lacked a proper business approach. Alexandre offered his help to Mr. Ferrand, the company’s owner, and soon began working to improve the distribution of the drink.
That story feels distant, as today the then-student has become CEO of the company, which has also expanded into the rum industry with its Plantation Rum brand. In addition, Maison Ferrand is the owner of the West Indies Rum Distillery and also owns a third of the National Rums of Jamaica.
Alexandre’s passion for this new adventure led him to be recognized as Master Rum Blender of the Year at the Golden Rum Barrel Awards and Distiller of the Year by the American Distilling Institute in 2012.
Gabriel is described as passionate, perfectionist, and inquisitive, with a refined taste for beauty, who pursues each project with zeal and discipline.
2022 was an important year for him as CEO. In April, he inaugurated the Harper Sugar Cane Mill, his first sugar mill that will allow Maison Distillery to experiment and produce rum from Barbados cane juice. The deal was made with the West Indies Rum Distillery, which will also use the mill to research and protect sugar cane.
Another brilliant achievement was working with expert coppersmiths to bring back to life the Rockley Still, one of the oldest rum pots in the world. Made by James Shears and Sons (1785-1981), the pot was purchased in 1936 by the West Indies Rum Distillery and was shown as a historical piece. Gabriel had the idea of restoring it and sent it to Cognac, France, in 2021. There, a group of experts worked for a year and a half to make plans to recreate it in its original form.
Finally, Alexandre says that one of his greatest victories in 2022 was working hard for the progress and benefit of the Barbadian economy. He joined the West Indies Rum Distillery team, the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Cardi), and the International Trade Centre (ITC) in partnership with local Barbadian farmers to source coconuts for rum production.
Advances like these are what make Maison Ferrand a renowned company, and Alexandre Gabriel is one CEO to monitor. What is done with the heart will always move fibers, even through a glass of rum.
Protecting the environment and breaking paradigms are Karen Hoskin’s pillars
Since she was a child, Karen Hoskin has had an interest in preserving the environment, so when she opened her own rum distillery, Montanya Distillers, she made sure that every single production process was sustainable.
But it’s not just their commitment to the environment that sets Montanya Distillers apart from the rest, it’s the fact that Karen is their CEO in a male-dominated industry.
This journey began when Karen was 21 years old and celebrated by taking her first sip of rum in Goa, India. She fell in love with the taste, and although she thought about how to make it a part of her life, it wasn’t until 20 years later, on a trip to Belize, that Hoskin decided to replicate the Caribbean rum experience at home.
She had everything going for her. A graphic designer by trade, Karen was in the business of building brands for others, so now she had to do it for herself.
After learning how to distill, Karen opened Montanya Distillers in 2008, and it wasn’t long before the awards started pouring in celebrating the goodness of her rum. As CEO, Karen knows and manages every aspect of the company that ships to 44 states and 7 countries.
At the same time, Hoskin works as a spokesperson, and is recognized for her expertise in the science of distilling, mixology, and the bar and restaurant business.
2022 was full of challenges, as it was a year in which the company increased its production capacity with the construction of a new distillery. In addition, the distribution of rum was expanded to Poland and Italy.
Montanya Distillers also renewed its B Corp certification, demonstrating that it is a transparent and sustainable company, in “the most difficult business environment I have seen in 15 years,” as Karen emphasizes.
This CEO’s work makes two things clear: that the United States also produces good rum and that women can also be leaders in this industry. She does it very well.
Steve Jefferson, a curious, visionary, and determined CEO
Steve Jefferson knows what it’s like to have his hands full of earth after growing his own sugar cane in a place where he was told it was impossible. To do so, his mind had to be reshaped and opened up to rum, its processes, how to distill it, and, most importantly, how to do it agriculturally.
It’s just that when Steve Jefferson said he wanted to make his own rum on the island of Hawaii, people thought he was crazy. After all, the rum industry had long since abandoned the island. But Steve knew that this idea, which came from a trip to Martinique, could be solidified. Or, rather, become liquid.
Martinique offered similar conditions to his native Hawaii: a similar climate, its latitude, its volcanic foundations… If they distributed good rum, why couldn’t he do the same in Hawaii?
Jefferson returned home very determined, and for every door that closed, he found windows and loopholes to create Kuleana Rum Works, a company that this year celebrates 10 years in the rum industry.
A journalist by trade and owner of two construction companies, Steve learned about agricultural rum a little at a time. Filling his mind with books, conversations with experts, and specialized classes, five years later he had already built a Hawaiian sugar cane farm with a distillery, a barrel room, and a restaurant to showcase the rum they made there.
He is now an expert at turning freshly squeezed sugar cane juice into a delicious, multi-award-winning rum.
Kuleana Rum uses 40 varieties of sugar cane to create a premium rum free of colorings and sweeteners. They do this in two ways: with an agricultural rum made from the fresh juice of sugar cane grown in Kohala, Hawaii; and through an aging process in cognac barrels.
2022 was a year of triumphs for Steve Jefferson, who turned out to be a visionary capable of achieving what others thought impossible. After two years of aging his Hōkūlei rum, it won a double gold medal at the New York World Spirits Competition (NYWSC). At the same time, its agricultural rum received a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Kuleana Ron was also named one of the Top 100 Spirits of 2022 by Wine Enthusiast magazine, being the third-best-ranked rum on the list. Finally, the brand was included by Imbibe Magazine in the Imbibe 75 list, which recognizes people and places that work to create better drinks.
Steve is proof that an open and curious mind can accomplish anything; even owning and being CEO of the rum industry.
Martha Miller, the first female CEO in the rum industry
When Martha Miller was elected CEO of National Rums of Jamaica, rum magic portals buzzed about the news. Miller’s achievement was a milestone, as she was the first woman to obtain such a position in the local rum industry.
Miller took it with the humility and drive that have characterized her entire career, the ones that led a young University of the West Indies graduate with a computer science degree to join an insurance company working in the internal audit area.
Miller rose to the challenge, and her brilliance and professionalism earned her diverse positions in consulting, business analysis, business management, advertising, finance, and organization. Her impressive resume led her to join National Rums of Jamaica in 2013 as head of finance, and seven years later, Martha was introduced to the media as the company’s CEO.
Miller has the arduous job of running the five departments and two distilleries that make up National Rums of Jamaica, a company owned in part by the island’s national government. That responsibility puts her in a constant problem-solving position, having to learn every process to solve every situation that may occur with chemists, technical operators, and each of the elements that make up the company’s human capital.
This CEO entered through the big door, and less than a year after taking office, she gave the best and most awaited gift to distilled spirits lovers on International Rum Day: the launch of Long Pond, the first brand of the renowned Long Pond Distillery that is part of the company she leads.
It was an achievement by any standards, not only for her as CEO, but also for the rest of the company that saw the distillery go up in flames in 2018 and rise like a phoenix, improving and bringing its own Jamaican flavor to the world.
In addition to overseeing the departure of Long Pond ITP-15, in May 2022, Miller announced with Minister Pearl Charles the intention to expand the sugar cane crops that are part of the production and thus increase the number of workers in the industry, understanding the importance and responsibility that the rum industry has with the communities of Trelawny and Manchester, where both distilleries are located.
As if that were not enough, in March 2022, the Monymusk Plantation Rums brand, which is also part of National Rums of Jamaica, won three awards at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) Awards: silver medals for its White Overproof Rum and its Special Gold Rum and bronze for the Classic Gold Rum, a real pride considering the number of brands that participated in the event.
This is just the beginning of her journey as CEO of National Rums of Jamaica, a position that suits a tireless worker who is making sure to take the company to the next level.
