Matusalem & Co.

Matusalem & Company is a manufacturer of premium Caribbean rum. Founded in Santiago de Cuba, it is now produced in the Dominican Republic.

Matusalem & Company
IndustryDistilled spirits
FoundedSantiago de Cuba
Headquarters
Dominican Republic
Websitewww.matusalem.com

History

Matusalem & Company was founded by brothers Benjamin and Eduardo Camp, who left Spain and settled in Santiago de Cuba in 1872 for the purpose of establishing a rum distillery.,[1]: 38 [2] The Camp brothers brought with them their knowledge and expertise in the solera system of blending and distillation used in making Spanish cognac and sherry.[1]: 38 

During the 1950s, the brand was one of the top premium rums in Cuba, competing with Bacardi and Havana Club.[1]: 175  having 50% market share.

Following the Cuban revolution 1959, the family-owned Matusalem brand went into exile, and was established in the United States. The Cuban government continued to make rum in the former Matusalem factory in Santiago de Cuba.[3]

Three branches of the family began feuding in 1981, resulting in court cases that extended into the mid-90s. These ended in 1995 when Dr. Claudio Alvarez Salazar, the great-grandson of the founder, gained control of the Matusalem trademark in an out-of-court settlement.

In 2002, Matusalem and Company was relaunched, with branding focused on its Cuban roots, and targeting the high-end market in the United States.[4]: 86–87  The rum is produced in the Dominican Republic, but was not formally made available in that country until 2015.[5]

The company has engaged in litigation over its use of phrases like "The Spirit of Cuba" in Italy.[6][7]

Name

The name "Matusalem" is Spanish for Methuselah, the Old Testament patriarch said to have lived for 969 years. It was chosen as a reference to the aging process used in producing the brand,[1]: 38  and popularized with the phrase "más viejo que Matusalén" (older than Methuselah).[4]: 78 

Current Portfolio
Matusalem Extra Añejo
Matusalem Gran Reserva

Seven different products are currently manufactured by Matusalem and Company:

  • Matusalem Gran Reserva 15
  • Matusalem Gran Reserva 18
  • Matusalem Gran Reserva 23
  • Matusalem Clasico 10
  • Matusalem Platino
  • Matusalem Solera 7
  • Matusalem Extra Añejo

References
  1. Gjelten, Tom (2008-01-01). Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause. Penguin. ISBN 9780670019786.
  2. "Rum Journal: From the Dominican Republic, a Rum With a Cuban Soul". Caribbean Journal. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  3. Brown, Jared McDaniel; Miller, Anistatia R.; Broom, Dave (2009-03-01). Cuba: The Legend of Rum. Mixellany Limited. p. 66. ISBN 9780976093787.
  4. Porben, Pedro P. (2009-01-01). The Desired Revolution and the New Man: Assembling and Negotiating Cultural and Intellectual Practices in Revolutionary Cuba (in Spanish). ISBN 9781109110043.
  5. Jiménez, Alex (2015-10-03). "Aprieta la Guerra Ronera en RD, Ron Matusalem y otras marcas compiten, Siboney viene con fuerza, rones saborizados ganan espacio en consumidores" (in Spanish). Primicias. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  6. Manna, Luigi (2015-02-13). "Cuba, rum and geographical indications". Lexology. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  7. "N&G Legal vince in appello con il rum Matusalem". TopLegal. 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
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