Walking the Talk with Takamaka Rum

The number one spirit of Seychelles, Takamaka Rum, is making moves to walk the talk and ensure a better, greener future for the island. Here’s how.

With “sustainability” becoming the word of the decade, we have been keeping our eyes peeled for initiatives in the drinks world that go the extra mile to make an impact, and Takamaka Rum’s recently launched Bar Sustainability Project in partnership with Paris’ award-winning cocktail pub Cambridge Public House looks very promising indeed.

Family owned Takamaka, founded by two brothers, Bernard and Richard D’Offay more than twenty-two years ago, is undeniably the number one spirit on the island nation. Takamaka now has the first molasses distillery in the Seychelles, with a continuous column still allowing them to produce over 200,000L a year which, combined with their cane distillery which has also been upgraded with two new pot stills, allows them to deliver on their longer-term plans.

The Cambridge is an award-winning neighbourhood bar which opened its doors in the heart of the Marais, Paris, in 2019. Inspired by a classic British pub, blended seamlessly with elements of a chic Parisian cocktail bar-The Cambridge delivers a relaxed and unique drinking experience. Since opening in 2019, The Cambridge has gone on to win and be nominated for many awards, including Tales of the Cocktail: Top 10 Regional Best New Opening and Bar Magazine’s Bar of the Year in 2019. More recently The Cambridge was awarded No.92 at The World’s 50 Best Bars Awards in 2021 and Tales of the Cocktail: Top 10 Regional Best Bar Team in 2022.

Most recently, these two behemoths of the drinks world have partnered up to launch the Seychelles Bar Sustainability Project – an ongoing activation designed to research, trial, improve and support the islands’ bar community.

A continuous initiative is underway to investigate, test, enhance, and bolster the islands’ bar community. This endeavour is pivotal to Takamaka’s relentless efforts towards its community and environment. The Project will extend invitations to experts from renowned bars worldwide to visit the Seychelles. Their expertise will be shared to assist the local industry in implementing impactful yet incremental changes.

Living on an island like the Seychelles poses unique sustainability challenges due to its remote location. These include heavy dependence on expensive and carbon-intensive imports, limited and challenging waste management solutions, and the looming threat of rising sea levels.

The Seychelles Bar Sustainability Project seeks to address these challenges through various activities such as seminars, workshops, and takeovers held throughout the year. The project aims to foster community engagement, inspire innovation, and introduce sustainable practices to the islands’ bartending community. Its ultimate goal is to drive long-term positive change and showcase responsible environmental stewardship, while hopefully inspiring others to follow suit.

The project is divided into three phases:

Part One – Super Juices (concluded in January 2024):

In the first part of the activation which took place last month, the primary focus was on the use of Super Juices. The goal was to understand how to reduce reliance on expensive, imported citrus fruits–a crucial commodity behind the bar. The module also covered how to reduce waste, improve yield and find alternatives in the Seychelles that will have a positive impact on both the environment and the bottom line. The Cambridge bartenders Nicolas Goradesky and Xania Patros led a training and masterclass, educating 65 local bartenders on how to switch from fresh citrus to acids to reduce waste and escalating costs.

Part Two – Pre-Batching (Early June 2024):

Introducing the concept of pre-batched cocktails ensures reduced waste, specifically of fresh ingredients and daily fruit preparation by using and preparing ingredients and serves in advance. This saves from unnecessary produce arriving on the island that will go to waste due to spoilage, as well as cuts down the time spent preparing and making each individual drink from scratch during service.

Part Three – Edible Garnishes (Autumn 2024)

Edible garnishes are created with the intention of reducing produce waste as well as mindful waste management as they can be discarded in a sustainable manner. In this phase of the project, bartenders will be using all the elements used within drink preparation as well as dehydrators, to utilise a circular strategy.

The beauty of this project is that unlike most other sustainability led ventures, the team at Takamaka approaches this with intention and transparency. As part of the initiative, Takamaka Rum have committed to providing the equipment needed to local bars and restaurants and to ensure a consistent supply of the necessary components. The programme will be hosted by Takamaka Global Brand Ambassador Nana Sechere and Takamaka BarManager Edel Leech. At the end of the year, participating venues will be asked to report on the impact of each measure, making this a unique exercise with quantifiable and measurable results.