The rum from Negros that’s recognized around the world
WHEN MOST PEOPLE hear the word ‘agriculture,’ the first thing that usually comes to mind is either crops or livestock. What many forget is that one very important aspect of the human experience is also an agricultural product: alcohol.
The last decade has seen the rise of premium spirits worldwide. In the Philippines, one of the most recognizable alcohol brands is Don Papa Rum. Launched in 2012, the brand prides itself on using sugarcane sourced from different farms in the Negros Island Region.
As of 2019, the Philippines was number 13 in the world’s top sugar cane producers, with the industry contributing 70 Billion to the Philippine economy annually. Fifty-one per cent of sugarcane is planted in Negros. Given that Negros Oriental, in particular, is known as the “Sugar Bowl of the Philippines,” it was only a matter of time before the island became known for premium rum as well.
Rum is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting and distilling sugarcane juice or molasses. The resulting clear liquid is aged in oak barrels where, depending on the grade, it acquires its amber color and caramel-like taste.
Don Papa Rum was started by Stephen Carroll, Monica Llamas Garcia, and Andrew Garcia. The idea came about while they were vacationing in Negros one summer. “They were having coffee in a friend’s ancestral home and they were like, wow, there’s so much sugarcane here, where’s the... premium rum?” relates Erica Larkins, Brand Manager for Asia at Bleeding Heart Rum Company, which produces Don Papa.
Producing local liquor wasn’t enough. It had to be exceptional. “They played around with that idea. They’re also very much into brand Philippines. They want to be able to elevate brand Philippines to other countries. They also want to be able to provide a premium product for the Philippines,” Larkins says.
The three founders have combined backgrounds in alcohol distillation and marketing. Carroll was a former executive at French spirits group Rémy Cointreau, while Garcia and Llamas Garcia have marketing backgrounds. “The three of them combined, they were like wow, okay, let’s create this wonderful product for the Philippines,” Larkins says.
NAMED AFTER A NEGRENSE HERO
Don Papa was inspired by Dionisio Magbuelas, or Papa Isio, a babaylanes leader from Negros Occidental during the Philippine Revolution. He was also the last Philippine revolutionary leader to surrender to the Americans. “He believed that the Filipinos are more than capable of governing themselves,” Larkins says. “Those are the things [the founders] loved about it. They really, truly believed that we Filipinos are more than capable of standing on our own.”
Ingredients or raw materials are important building blocks of a product, and this is where Negros sugarcane really shines. “They’ve traveled all over... and really, the sugarcane from Negros is one of the sweetest and one of the lushest... you can find [in] the world,” Larkins says.
Part of it has to do with the humidity on the island, and part of it has to do with the rich volcanic soil courtesy of Mt. Kanlaon, the highest point on the island and the third most active volcano in the country. The brand pays tribute to this through its packaging, which features the foothills of the majestic volcano.
Don Papa is a single island rum, “meaning the sugarcanes that are used to make this product is 100% from Negros,” Larkins says.
The sugarcane isn’t the only thing that’s quintessentially Negrense. Larkins says that the way the rum is produced is very much of the island. “It’s more a community that we built with Negros. We work with [farmers]. They own the land [and] till it, and there is the sugar mill which is owned by someone else,” she says. “We have a toll manufacturing agreement with Ginebra San Miguel. It’s really a community that works together to create a product…. You know what, let’s help out each other. We don’t own lands. It’s the Negrense way of doing things.”
PARTNERSHIP AND PRODUCT MADE PERFECT
Don Papa works with toll manufacturer Ginebra San Miguel. A toll manufacturer is a company with specialized equipment who produces items to a customer’s specifications. The distillery is in Bago City, 45 minutes away from Bacolod City in Negros Occidental. “They have very strict quality control. They basically look through everything. They do the whole process. We’re very, very happy with the kind of agreement and partnership that we have for them,” Larkins says.
The rum is made from molasses, the thick, brown syrup left after sugar has been extracted from sugarcane juice. “It’s what you use to make piaya,” Larkins adds, referring to a popular molasses-filled flatbread pastry from Negros Occidental.
There are three rum making processes: English rum is produced