RumChata has said it will look to harness rapid growth for the brand to expand into the European and Middle Eastern travel retail markets.
The Caribbean rum cream liqueur brand, which sells more than 5.5 million bottles annually despite only being launched in 2010, will be presented in the Platinum Partner suite of Duty Free Global (#Virtual Stand WS-P1) at the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo.
“Pre-pandemic, we had great success in the North American, Caribbean and Latin American segments with a focus on cruise ships and border stores,” RumChata International Business Development Director Steve de Luca said. “We now wish to leverage that success by expanding into mainly Europe and Middle East duty free airport channels.”
To enhance its standing in travel retail, the company has partnered with Duty Free Global for what de Luca said he expected to be a “win-win-win partnership for airport operators, Duty Free Global and ourselves”.
He added: “As a small family company with a small team, we don’t have the luxury of being able to forge direct relationships with all the duty free players, though we’d love to be able to.
“Our aim is to differentiate our value-added service to operators through far faster response speed and decision making to support our brands. Together with the local operators’ expertise, we believe this will bring a value-added, share-gaining combination that will prove difficult to match. We believe that the duty free segment’s long-term growth of the past will resume, and act as a tailwind to our industry partnerships.”
As the travel retail sector recovers from the impact of COVID-19, De Luca said he would like to see retailers both use ecommerce platforms to engage with consumers and promote the measures they have taken to ensure their stores are safe. “Very much like the impact of 9/11, we view this as an initially shocking event followed by a more gradual recovery,” he added.
As well as the cream liqueur, RumChata will be showcasing Death’s Door Gin, a three-botanical, American, craft gin. De Luca commented: “Though Death’s Door Gin is in the earlier stages, our global management team brings over 120 years of combined business experience in the branded beverage alcohol business, including the creation and development of RumChata.
“We are excited by the continued fast-paced growth of the super-premium craft gin category, where Death’s Door sits. Unlike traditional London dry gins, Death’s Door has a smoother taste profile.”
De Luca added that the company was hoping to secure listings for Death’s Door Gin in selected airports in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
