Copal Tree Distillery: A Leader in Corporate Citizenship
Tonight on Belize On Reel, we look at the charitable work that Copal Tree Distillery has been spearheading in Toledo District. The company, famous for Copalli Rum, has been engaged in a number of social activities geared towards helping the residents of Punta Gorda Town and the surrounding communities. In this edition of our weekly series, we headed south once again and sat down with several non-government organizations that have teamed up with Copal Tree Distillery to improve the lives of the citizenry in that part of the country.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Across Toledo District, a number of non-profit initiatives are taking place. Perhaps the most well-known among them is the work of the Battle of the Drums Secretariat. Every year in the month of November, all roads lead to Punta Gorda for the Battle of the Drums Competition. What may not be equally highlighted is the work of the organization in primary schools across the south in promoting and preserving Garifuna language and culture.
Darius Avila
Darius Avila, President, Battle of the Drums
“We got together, I think it’s going on six years now, with Copal Tree Distillery. We saw where there were synergies between what we want to accomplish at the Battle of the Drums and the social responsibility that Copal Tree brought to the table. So you may know that the Battle of the Drums is a Garifuna drumming competition and show, but it’s also a term that is used for Garifuna cultural retrieval and preservation initiative.”
The responsibility and obligation of Copal Tree Distillery, makers of the award-winning Copalli Rum, is to run an ethical and transparent business, one that will benefit society at large. By doing so, it helps to enhance the company’s reputation and brand image among customers, investors, employees, and the public. Over the years, Copal Tree Distillery has partnered with a number of initiatives, including Hillside Healthcare International.
Lynette Gomez
Lynette Gomez, Executive Director, Hillside Healthcare
“We provide healthcare to the underserved communities in Toledo District and in southern Belize and, you know, we have been giving over twenty-three years of service to our community. We have our outpatient clinic in Elridge, we also conduct mobile clinics to the villages and a mobile can take you anywhere from half an hour to three hours in the rainy weather.”
Together with Copal Tree Distillery, Hillside’s Executive Director, Lynette Gomez, has been able to erect a shelter at the facility in Elridge Village. These social causes help the company to attract and retain loyal customers.
Lynette Gomez
“One of the project is that, you know when COVID hit, it was a difficult time and we had to put a tarp so that the patients could wait and we had the screen and when it was raining, it was a problem because people were getting wet. When it was sunny it was a problem because the sun was hitting them, so we received funding from another donor, plus that was co-financed by Copal’s funding and now we have a nice shelter with a concrete floor that the patient can easily access the compound.”
Recognizing the importance of adult continuing education, Copal Tree Distillery has also teamed up with the faculty at Claver College Extension in Punta Gorda to broaden its academic program.
Dave Foreman
Dave Foreman, Director, Claver College Ext.
“One of the major things that we’ve done was to expand our curriculum from a three-year program to a four-year program. For many, many years we’ve been working with a three-year program and it posed a lot of challenges, but to expand it to the four-year program we needed finance. And now, we are blessed because we have contributions from organizations such as Copalli and that is one of the major things that we have done. We’ve been able to expand.”
Copal Tree Distillery has developed a clear vision and strategy for corporate citizenship and implements innovative practices that create value for society. In the case of the Battle of the Drums, funding received from the company for its various projects has allowed Darius Avila and his team at the secretariat to meet the changing needs of the program.
Darius Avila
“It has been very, very productive in terms of their support because we had a similar sponsor of a distillery prior to now. Copalli basically came in and doubled that and over and above that, we have had then the ability to do a little bit more and go a little bit farther in our programs. Our programs evolve to meet the needs of our communities, so to speak, so any additional financial support, or logistical support, is very, very beneficial to our programs.”
By contributing to the economic and social development of the communities in which it operates, Copal Tree Distillery has become a leader in corporate citizenship in southern Belize by creating positive impact on society beyond its core business. Isani Cayetano for News Five.
