Source: ARA
October 26, 2012
Ms. Kelly Railean,
Founder and President of the American Rum Association announced the
establishment of the first trade association to unite American rum
manufacturers in the USA.
The American Rum Association
is a non-profit trade organization for the manufacturers of rum with production
facilities and headquarters located in the United States of America (excludes
US territories such as Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, Philippines,
etc.).
The mission of the
organization is to grow the domestic rum category to one that rivals the
world's imports by promoting the production and appreciation of American rum
through education, marketing, and regulatory influence. For the first time in
history, the American rum industry will have a cohesive marketing strategy that
will differentiate American rum from imported brands. This trade association
will also provide a unified voice for media, politics, and regulatory agencies.
Kelly Railean,
President of Railean Distillers, LLC, said "there are over 80 American
manufacturers of rum operating in the USA and it is time to establish quality
standards for "American Rum". Ask any American rum manufacturer and
they will tell you that the main obstacle to growing the domestic rum category
and their small business is the unfair tax subsidies offered exclusively to rum
companies operating in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and USVI. These
subsidies restrict free market competition and give global manufactures such as
Bacardi and Diageo an unwarranted hold on the American rum market. The American
Rum Association is fully committed to exposing these unfair practices and
providing products Made in the U.S.A.; thus providing jobs, fueling our
American economy and aiding in the recovery of our economic system."
This is interesting that we kind of have a rum civil war, of out own government subsidising foreign companies against American companies producing the same products and paying them to sell them in the United States. I'm all for the subsidies as long as they are helping "American" interests, but when they are benefiting global giant's like the British based Diageo, I have to question how these tax dollars are being spent. It is election year and time to ask the questions of the politicians on this issue that has started a global war in the rum industry. ;o)
