Travellers Liquors Launches Ruta Maya Rums
Travellers Liquors is doing it once again and today, a new line of rum is about to hit the shelves in stores across the country and overseas. Handcrafted and one hundred percent Belizean – Ruta Maya Rums comes in four different flavours, including coffee and coco lime. In tonight’s episode of Belize on Reel, News Five’s Duane Moody finds out more about this new Belizean product that incorporates fun, sports and tradition.
Duane Moody, Reporting
The name is synonymous with quality brand liquors in Belize and overseas and several of its products are sought globally. Travellers Liquors Belize is expanding its product by introducing its newest line of rums. Not to be confused with a liqueur, Ruta Maya Rum is an infused rum that’s hitting the market with four different tastes.
Perla Perdomo
Perla Perdomo, Executive Chairperson, Board of Directors, Travellers
“It has no artificial flavours whatsoever. We have an ouro – it’s in Italian. Blanco; we have the cocolime and we have the coffee one which I am very excited about. I think this is a novel flavour. The ouro is a gold rum, but it is an aged rum. It’s aged three years; comes out of the barrel and is watered down to the proof that we want it, at thirty-eight. And then the blanco which is a blend out of distillate; out of the distillery, proof down to thirty-eight APV. And then we have the cocolime, which you know we are very good at the coconut-flavoured rum. Well this will excite you a lot because it has lime, you don’t have to add lime when you are making your drink. And of course, the coffee-flavoured rum and that is so versatile, it could go with anything at any time of the day.”
The ingredients are sourced from local producers of coconut products, lime concentrate from Citrus Products of Belize Limited and the coffee is a high quality, high altitude coffee bean roasted by Baked in Belize. These are infused in high-proof alcohol to create these new rum blends. Executive Chair of the Board of Directors for Travellers Perla Perdomo says that the concept for this new line began years ago, while she was based in London, as the then Belize High Commissioner to the U.K.
Perla Perdomo
“This idea conversation started eight years ago. I was attending an event in London and then I was met by the actual sponsor of the event and he said, you know I distribute liquors in Europe, high end liquors. And I said well funny, we produce high end liquors in Belize. And he said I am looking for a rum from the Caribbean to fill my portfolio. And so we continued the conversation socially and then he made a visit to Belize and then he made a visit to Belize and then seven, eight years later, e have a line of products that we think would do very well with the Belizean public, but also can go global.”
Ruta Maya Rum is uniquely branded and pays homage to the indigenous Maya culture in Belize and today, members of the national Pok-ta-pok team were included in the launch. The design of the bottle, the label and the flavours were all part of this authentic process. The European market is among the first regions in which this product will be launched. Olivier Scaramusi, the C.E.O. of Boutique Brands, says it is about linking fun, sports, tradition and history.
Olivier Scaramusi
Olivier Scaramusi, C.E.O., Boutique Brands
“We play the role in the design, finding the names, but also our role is coordinating our marketing and sales across the world, with our primary focus in Europe. Obviously, the U.S. is also going to be important as a market. So it’s exporting Belizean knowhow into the world. Initially we were looking at a Caribbean rum and we figured we have to find a traditional root and Mayans are a critical root here so we felt there was already a name to think about. Rum is about also having fun – drinking with friends, drinking with families – so we figured what would be fun. And we figured what is happening in Belize; the race that is well known. We just finished the first production. It is going to take six to eight weeks to be arriving on the European shores and then into distributors so I think early next year we’re gonna start seeing the product in different key markets.”
While the ouro and blanco Belizean rums are comparable to the Caribbean gold and white, mixologist and senior Travellers sales representative Jordan Ramclam says that these infused rums, including the cocolime and coffee rums make for delicious upscale cocktails for any time of the day.
Jordan Ramclam
Jordan Ramclam, Mixologist, Travellers
“This is just the start of the line. We are going to be enhancing and enlarging the line with different flavours as time progresses. Now these are not your typical rums that you are used to. This is the first coffee rum in Belize. It is not a liqueur; it’s a rum. The cocolime you can use all year long especially when lime gets a bit scarce and expensive, it has lime in it, so you don’t need as much lime for your daiquiris or mojitos, coladas. So it is really good. Priced within budget. They are amazing. It is more of an experience or a bottle you are purchasing. The name itself.”
Perla Perdomo
“Belize people like good thing. And we identified with that right away and we recognize that what we have in Belize is very good and we should take it global.”
The rums retail at around thirty-six dollars for the litre. Duane Moody for News Five.
