Bacardi Ltd. and the Bacardi family said they are donating $1 million in cash and other assistance to the disaster relief and recovery efforts.
Bacardi will collaborate with non-profit partners and the Bahamian government to ensure that this cash donation provides immediate and long-term assistance to local relief agencies in their efforts to support the islands and communities that need it most. The company has also organized an employee drive to collect much needed items for those in need in the wake of Hurricane Dorian as well as communicated a website to provide cash donations to a global humanitarian partner.
Bacardi has a long relationship with The Bahamas which became its adopted home in the early 1960’s when the company moved there after the revolutionary government forces in Cuba illegally confiscated all assets in Cuba from Bacardi.
“We have never forgotten the incredible kindness of the Bahamian people and the important role they played in the history of our company,” said Facundo L. Bacardi, Chairman. “We hope in a small way to contribute to the rebuilding of this great country in the face of this tragedy just as The Bahamas helped Bacardi rebuild nearly 60 years ago.”
While Bacardi no longer has facilities in The Bahamas, the company has a longstanding relationship to the Bahamian people and the islands, where the company produced its iconic rum for nearly 50 years and was a vital member of the business community.
The catastrophic destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian strikes particularly close to Bacardi. Puerto Rico, which was impacted on such tragic scale by Hurricane Maria in 2017, is home to the BACARDÍ rum distillery, the largest premium rum distillery in the world, and the company has been deeply involved in the community and its recovery over the last two years.
Corporate responsibility has long been a priority for Bacardi. Company founder and BACARDÍ rum creator Don Facundo Bacardí Massó when he volunteered as the chief organizer of disaster relief in his hometown of Santiago de Cuba after a horrific earthquake in 1862. Since then, the Bacardi family and company have continued to build upon his commitment to assist in times of catastrophic natural disasters.
In 2017, in the wake of the destruction wrought by Hurricanes Maria and Irma, as well as the earthquakes in Mexico, Bacardi committed a total of $3 Million to relief efforts in Puerto Rico, Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico, and The Bahamas. In recent years, Bacardi has also made donations to aid organizations supporting relief efforts in Southeast Asia, China, Australia, Italy, Haiti, Cuba, Brazil, Chile, and the United States.