Stefano Oldrati. HCI International Marketing Director
<b>Q.- What’s the importance of the Havana Club Rum Museum stacked up against similar houses that Pernod Ricard owns around the world? </b>
A.- The Havana Club Rum Museum holds the fourth spot on the top-ten list of Pernod Ricard’s houses around the world. Given the different top liquor brands that our company owns, this position mirrors a considerable advance for a fledgling institution that’s trying to get up to par with others of much greater tradition that have been around for over fifteen years. That is, The Rum Museum, inside this group, is a new star that has already chalked up good outcomes.
<b>Q.- When did the idea of founding the Rum Museum pop up in the first place? </b>
A.- The idea emerged between 1996 and 1997 given the fact that Havana Club is Cuba’s best-known rum brand worldwide and it needed to have a house of its own, and that house was to be in Havana, its natural territory. It was thought up to be more than just a museum with technical descriptions about the history of sugarcane, rum and how the spirit is distilled, but rather as a combination worth highlighting in which the presence and significance of rum in the lifestyle and culture of the Cuban people is blended. We worked on that concept for a number of years and the museum was eventually opened in 2000.
<b>Q.- In addition to its museological values, does it have any other significance or function? </b>
A.- The Museum or the Rum Foundation is a major communication means for the trademark because when we talk about the promotion of Havana Club, we’re talking, above all, about Cuban identity, and that’s precisely what the house stands for.
<b>Q.- That means the house plays a cultural and commercial role. Can you speak about its objective? </b>
A.- There’s more than just one objective because, apart from advertising the rum brand and spreading culture, the house serves a tourist interest as well. There’re so far two circuits that gather the biggest chunk of tourists: Havana and Varadero. Those who choose Varadero are the ones keen to enjoying a gorgeous beach and all-out relaxation. Tourists coming to Havana, though, are asking for more and the Rum Museum plays a significant role in that sense because it’s located in Old Havana, the city’s biggest allure, UNESCO’s Heritage of Mankind, and a place that treasures not only the history of the city, but also of the entire island. Besides showing the history of rum, sugarcane and the industry’s development, it also portrays Cuban lifestyle through music and art because we have a gallery in which artistic exhibits of all kinds are set up and we bring performers to the premises for visitors to shake a leg if they want to. Our visitors not only learn about the history of rum, but they also have a chance of sipping at it and learning how rum is drunk and fixed into cocktails. I mean, the Rum Museum, the spirit’s first showcase in its own turf, allows tourists to live a Cuban experience to remember.
<b>Q.- How many visitors have walked past the museum’s turnstiles? </b>
A.- Well, the first year was a takeoff year in which we tagged along for a good promotion. That explains the small turnout that we had. From less than 20,000 visitors in that first year, we jumped to 65,000 foreign travelers in 2003, plus 30,000 Cubans who have visited the museum. The house has stuck to the tradition of luring foreign visitors, but it’s also open to Cubans absolutely free. The institution saw attendance staging a 100 percent increase from 2002 to 2003, a figure that underscores the hardworking effort of its staff –only a dozen employees at the onset and 14 now that work seven days a week. As to the year 2004, we’ve set out to surpass the 100,000-visitor milestone.
<b>Q.- What impact has the Rum Museum had on Cuba’s travel industry? </b>
A.- Cuba is the Caribbean country with the richest history and the biggest cultural legacy. That explains why when tourists arrive in Havana, they not only want to enjoy sun, sand and sea, but they also want to learn and feel the island nation’s years of history and culture. And that’s the point in which the museum serves as a good complement, not only for touting the Havana Club trademark, but also for giving tourists a comprehensive peek into Cuba’s history and culture. The way this museum was conceived by its founding fathers allows visitors to know firsthand what Cuban values are actually like, and that’s something that many people seek to find when they come to Cuba.
<b>Q.- My last question is somewhat technical, just to put it this way. How is the trademark faring in the world from a marketing standpoint? </b>
A.- It’s doing great. I must say there’s a world ranking of beverages on the basis of product quality that tabs the top-100 international brands, I mean, not the kind of liquor that sells in a couple of places under the sun, but indeed in lots and lots of countries in bestselling figures. Well, Havana Club cracked the top-100 chart four years ago and climbed from number 63 to 54 and 50 in 2003 alone. The goal now is to move up the ladder to number 45 of the world’s finest spirits.
Havana Club is a trademark that has literally leapfrogged in the world market. We’re talking about the sale of two million cases of 9-lt. bottles and growth numbers in the double digits (12 percent). Those are remarkable figures!
I must also say that even though Havana Club finished at number 50 among the world’s top-100 Premium spirits –vying against whiskies, tequilas, vodkas, gins, cognacs, brandies and licorices- we hold the third notch in the rum category, trailing behind Bacardi, the chart topper, and runner-up Captain Morgan. And these numbers have been achieved without Cuba’s access to the U.S. market that accounts for 42 percent of the world’s total consumption of Premium rum. If we rule out the American market and focus only on the rest of the world, Havana Club is the runner-up, second only to Captain Morgan.
