Despite its status as one of the world’s largest producers of sugar cane, Colombia has historically been overshadowed by neighboring countries as a producer of fine rum, but that change could be on the way if the recent awarding of eight gold medals of quality from the Monde Selection to Licores de Cundinamarca, the company behind SantaFé Rum and Nectar Aguardiente, are any indication of the direction of the industry.
In addition to six gold medals, two rums produced by Empresa de Licores de Cundinamarca were awarded the prestigious grand gold seal.
The liquor and spirits producer, located in the heart of Bogotá, announced last week that several of its products had been awarded one of the food and beverage industry’s highest honors. Founded more than 50 years ago in Brussels, the Monde Selection brings together world-class experts in a variety of areas from Michelin-star chefs to chemical engineers and sommeliers to award bronze, silver, gold and grand gold seals to more than 3,000 consumer products each year.
The awards are considered representative of outstanding quality and exemplary business practices, and could be key in helping Licores de Cundinamarca expand their sales abroad, where the international recognition encourages confidence in consumers otherwise unfamiliar with the brand. Alberto Meza, director of Licores de Cundimarca released a statement shortly after the prizes were announced saying that the recognition was an honor for Colombia and would help the nation’s liquors sell better in foreign markets.
Gold medals were awarded to five of the company’s aguardientes, including Néctar Rojo, Néctar Club Sin Azúcar, Néctar Azul Sin Azúcar, Néctar Rojo Sin Azúcar and Aguardiente 180, and the aged rum Ron SantaFé 4 Años Añejo. Two fine rums, the Ron SantaFé 8 Años Reserva Exclusiva and Ron SantaFé 12 Años Nido de Cóndores, were awarded grand gold medals, the highest honor given by the Monde Selection.
Licores de Cundinamarca has been honored by the organization in the past, and 2013 marks the third consecutive year that the company’s products have taken home multiple honors. Other Colombian liquor companies have also performed well in the selection, including Licores y Alcoholes de Antioquia, the producers of Ron Medellín and Aguardiente Antioqueño.
The Empresa de Licores de Cundimarca was founded in 1905 in downtown Bogotá by then-governor of the department, Agustín Morales, and it quickly grew into one of the nation’s largest producers of alcohol, taking advantage of the region’s considerable capacity for the production of panela, an unrefined cane sugar used to produce both rum and aguardiente.
By 2001, the company had begun to export its most popular products, Aguardiente Néctar and Ron SantaFé to the United States and Ecuador, in addition to markets across the country, helping Licores de Cundinamarca firmly establish itself as one the 300 most important businesses in Colombia. Last year, sales topped $105 billion pesos nationwide (approx. USD $56 million).
International sales represented a relatively small proportion of the company’s profits in 2012, but if Licores de Cundinamarca continues to perform well at global competitions such as the Monde Selection, it seems it will only be a matter of time before Colombia gains the recognition it deserves as a truly competitive producer of world-class liquors.
