WhooHoo, more Rhum! :)
Governor John deJongh Jr. announced this evening a major economic development initiative for the Virgin Islands, and St. Croix especially - More Rum! No, the government is not going to start passing out allotments of rum to help ease the pain Cruzans are feeling at the gas pump or the grocery store line. Gov. John has engineered a deal with Diageo. Who?
Diageo is the adult beverage company that makes Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum and the Captain was looking for a new home port. Next call - St. Croix.
Diageo has agreed to build $165 million dollar facility to produce all Captain Morgan’s brand products on the Big Island, bringing jobs and an additional $100 million a year in Rum Tax revenue to the territory.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Good news…..but did anyone tell them we don’t raise sugar can or make mollases any more??
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 pm
And all of this, without a loan from the VI government! (Unlike the Golden project!)
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 pm
larry, Cruzan Rum is also made from sugar cane molasses which is shipped to the island. Captain Morgan’s is currently being made with “Puerto Rican rum”. Don’t know if they are planning on shipping the rum here to blend, or the sugar cane molasses, and distill the rum here. From what the guv said about rum tax revenues, I think they’ll be distilling here, with imported molasses, like Cruzan.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 pm
hmmm, it’s not really clear just what is involved. Of course it has to go to our legislators. One of the rumors I had heard was that Pernod Ricard would be moving Cruzan Rum! This is so much better.
below copied from:
http://www.governordejongh.com/
What the Agreement I have signed will do is assist Diageo with the financing and construction of an environmentally sound rum-producing facility on St. Croix…
June 24th, 2008 at 5:05 am
Will I now need to drink and stock more rum to show my love for the island?
Seriously I think this is good for the island.
As I understand all the cane is imported from central America.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Does anyone know where the factory will be built? I hope near the Cruzan Rum factory, so to keep the buildings and operations consolidated, plus, it will help the economically depressed West End. I think is a good thing for St. Croix.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:03 am
I don’t have access to the hearings about the new rum factory, but I am reading about it on The Daily News web page. I hope this one flys. I am impressed by how the Governor is handling the nay-sayers as I follow this story.