The Brand Formerly Known as Plantation: Maison Ferrand and WIRD Officially Release Highly Sought-After Coconut Rum Globally Under New Name
(Photo: Maison Ferrand)
It is the end of a highly controversial era for Maison Ferrand and the West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) the brand formerly known as (FKA) Plantation has announced that it has finally changed its name to Planteray. Alongside the renaming announcement, Planteray has also declared the global launch of the distillery’s popular Cut & Dry Coconut Rum.
The Name
The journey to FKA Plantation changing its name began back in 2020. The brand’s owner and Master Blender, Alexandre Gabriel sought to change the name after calls for a rebranding in 2020 during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. The brand took a number of years to make any significant headway in the way of rebranding and many thought it may have been an empty promise.
One Reddit user said on r/rum, “Back in June 2020, Plantation announced that they will be changing their problematic brand name. They did not say what it would change to and it looks like there haven’t been any news updates since then. Does anybody here know when this change (if ever) will take place? And what the new name will be?”
Gabriel in 2020 when making the declaration of name change stated “As the dialogue on racial equality continues globally, we understand the hurtful connotation the word ‘plantation’ can evoke to some people, especially in its association with much graver images and dark realities of the past.”
However, the name Planteray comes to the market several years after that promise.
In 2022, Gabriel told the media, “Changing a brand name that’s been in existence for so many years, is a lot like changing the name of a 30-year-old person and having to make sure that name is not in existence anywhere else in the world.”
The rebranding process comes with a number of challenges, especially with multiple countries’ laws and trademarks to navigate but it was unclear to the public if this was a genuine move to right a wrong by closely associating the rum brand with the dark history surrounding sugar and slavery or if it was an empty promise made as a marketing ploy.
The brand showed its intent today at the press conference when Gabriel stated “From today forward, the evolution from Plantation to Planteray begins.
“It was a long journey of trademarking a name that reflects our brand ethos in 120 countries. Naturally, the rum we have proudly produced for more than 25 years remains exactly the same and will still be produced with the same expertise, attention and care but now as Planteray Rum. We remain wholeheartedly committed to make the same exceptional rum from Barbados and some of the greatest rum terroirs in the world.”
New Name Same Rum
The brand promises that the rum in the bottle is exactly the same, the only change is the name. Planteray Rums are instantly recognizable in their raffia-wrapped bottles that were previously seen under the former name.
Although the name change was not the only surprise for Planteray, today, at a press conference held at West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD), Cut & Dry Coconut Rum was officially launched as the first rum under the new name. The rum has had somewhat of a cult following since its inception but has remained elusive to many markets including the US. Now for the first time, it will be available outside of the Caribbean.
“It took four years of experimentation and 97 recipes to find the winning method and combination of ingredients sourced from our neighbors, using natural white coconut flesh infused in our delicious Barbados rum,” said Gabriel, owner and master blender of Maison Ferrand and West Indies Rum Distillery. “It took Andrew Hassel an extra two years to secure enough coconuts for our export markets. We won’t be able to produce very big quantities because Cut & Dry is hand-made and the coconuts need to grow, and you can’t speed that up. Nature needs to do its work.”
Cut & Dry is a 100% Barbadian artisanal rum infused with locally sourced coconut. WIRD partnered with local coconut farmers who have been cultivating coconuts for generations on the island of Barbados alongside the Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the International Trade Centre’s Alliances for Action program. The partnerships support Barbados businesses and sustainable agriculture initiatives.
“Our partnership with our local coconut farmers promotes Barbados as a hub for premium craft products, as well as celebrate Barbados’ rich heritage,” commented Hassell, WIRD’s managing director. “The distillery has been the backbone of the local rum industry for more than 130 years and we invest in our community. We are proud to source local molasses and coconuts to produce Planteray Cut & Dry, a true product of Barbados.”
Bottles with the Planteray Rum name will roll out globally as of January 2024, with each market undertaking its own transition plan from the old name to the new. Cut & Dry Coconut Rum is bottled at 40% ABV and has a suggested retail price of $35.00 US.
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