Thursday, June 23, 2016

Bacardi Visitors Centre Offering Oak Barrel Sunglasses

     Bacardi is endeavoring to be as green as possible in it operations.  In this light they have come out with sunglasses that are made from oak rum barrels that have run their course as aging barrels.  The barrels are disassembled and the staves are cut into the pieces for the sunglasses.   BACARDÍ at the rum factory outside San Juan, Puerto Rico, they chip up some old barrels for mulch or reused for planters an chairs among other uses. Today they are transforming them  by hand into artisan-crafted eye wear so customers can both drink and wear BACARDÍ.
     “With sights set on seeing a net-zero impact, the Company’s eco-friendly, reclaimed-wood eyewear innovations metaphorically promote our eco-focus and allow clients to take a new, ‘greener’ view with wearable, sustainable art that actually protects their eyes,” says Maggie Matias, managing director for the Bacardi Visitor Centre, who is based at the world’s largest premium rum distillery.   Certified craftsmen make the eye wear manually in a time consuming process of assembling, sanding and finishing the frames producing these unique wood framed sunglasses.   There are four exclusive and stylish lines of sunglasses, each pair features a carved BACARDÍ bat logo at the temple as well as Italian polarized lenses.   The wooden-framed BACARDÍ eye wear hits the mark with several designs that highlight the wood grain and texture.    Details like sharp lines, soft curves and green materials make the line of sunglasses universal for all.    The lenses come in cobalt blue or sunrise orange, while the frames, each unique, come in blond wood and dark chestnut hues.   The sunglasses will retail for US$195 each, are light and comfortable to wear and are only sold at the Casa BACARDÍ Visitor Centre Store in Cataño, Puerto Rico.
“At Bacardi, our challenge is to think in new, creative ways to help the environment and our consumers. This is just one example of how we recycle materials to give them new life and ensure that nothing goes to waste, and this is part of our long-term view for the future,” adds Eduardo Vallado Moreno, vice president for Supply Chain and Manufacturing for Bacardi in the Americas, whose responsibility includes the Puerto Rico facility.