Bridgetown, Barbados – 20 February 2021: Caribbean rum producers are joining forces with French group CIRT-DOM, to get the best deal for their exports into major markets, particularly the European Union.

Rum producers of the Caribbean Forum, members of the West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA), recently signed a MOU with their French counterparts CIRT-DOM - the traditional rum producers of Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Reunion, which are all Departments of France.

Alain Chatel, President of the French grouping CIRT-DOM said, “We have worked with WIRSPA over several decades to promote rum rules that respect origin, and to urge compliance with the regulations which do not permit flavouring of rum, and labelling regulations that are truthful. Both our groupings are traditional producers of authentic rum based on true provenance, and we have together worked to build the reputation of rum as a quality premium spirit, alongside the best of the best. We share a common philosophy.”

ABOUT WIRSPA
The West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA) is one of the oldest private sector trade associations in the Caribbean. It represents rum producers in Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Haiti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago.

ABOUT CIRT-DOM
The “Conseil Interprofessionnel du Rhum Traditionnel” (the Interprofessional Council for Traditional Rum) comprises the rum producers of Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Reunion.
Contact: cirt.dom@wanadoo.fr