This is what we call Ron Artesano. This craft rum brand is hand-made in small batches in the mountains of Jayuya, Puerto Rico.
The founders are a solid team of professionals that handle the different aspects of the business: Commercial Operations & Business Development, Distillation, Production & Aging and Rum Blending and formulation.
Jose Muñoz handles the Business Development of the company, brand creation, packaging design, marketing & sales. He has over 25 years of experience in the field, having worked for several top companies in the local industry.
Javier Herrera, from Madrid, Spain is the Rum Maestro. He is one of the most respected consultants in the global rum industry, and handles the creation of the liquids and quality of the rums.
Luis Cruz Rivera, an ARMY Veteran graduated from Stanford, handles the production & aging facility in Jayuya, Puerto Rico.
WHAT MAKES RON ARTESANO UNIQUE?
We distill our rums in small batches using an Arnold Holstein 100% copper pot still, which is not commonly seen in Puerto Rico. Our rums are aged in the mountains, where the air is clean and there is high humidity. Aging in the mountains is great because we have 20-30 temperature Fahrenheit swings everyday. In summer from 70 Fahrenheit in the mornings to 95 Fahrenheit at noon, and in other seasons as low as 60 Fahrenheit to the same 95 degrees. These swings make the wood in the barrels expand and contract more and accelerate the interaction with the rums in the barrels, making for a smoother rum experience.
Our rum is full-flavored and complex, made with care and love. We fill, label and number all our bottles by hand. Our main labels are made out of engraved tin, hand painted in France.
Our añejo rum is much less sweeter than other famous brands, because we do not add sugar, or any kind of sweeteners to our rum. While being a beautiful aged rum, it resembles characteristics similar to those of a great bourbon, due to the fact that we age in bourbon barrels.
“We wanted to have a unique rum experience so we use only the best barrels from the best bourbon companies in the USA, and we wanted a special bottle. We believe having such a beautiful label could make a difference in the future of our brand, so we decided as a team to bet on a great label” says Jose Muñoz.
DESPITE RON ARTESANO BEING A VERY YOUNG BRAND, IT HAS PROVOKED INTEREST FROM SEVERAL IMPORTERS AND DISTRIBUTORS IN THE USA AND INTERNATIONALLY IN COUNTRIES LIKE CHECH REPUBLIC, FRANCE, SPAIN, GERMANY, SWEDEN, DENMARK, CANADA & MÉXICO.
The opportunity in the global craft rum market is very real, with estimated sales of $1.6 billion dollars and expected to expand at a 5.2% CAGR from 2020-2027 (Craft Rum Market Share, Trends & Growth Report, 2020-2027). Ron Artesano plans to achieve international distribution by Q3 2023. We just started, so we need to walk, then run.” says Jose Muñoz, President of Ron Artesano.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR RON ARTESANO? INNOVATION & INTERNATIONALIZATION.
Those are our two biggest goals. We want to keep innovating with different rums, aging and new packaging propositions. We will keep creating products that connect with our consumers. Our goal is to export 80% of our total production and eventually, build our own distillery to support our expansion goals. The future looks bright. Cheers to that.
