HAMILTON, Bermuda – Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, launched #RaiseYourSpirits, an initiative to support bars and restaurants debilitated by the COVID-19 shutdown.
We have been devastated to watch our longtime partners and friends lose their livelihoods virtually overnight, as dining out, nightlife and entertainment grind to a halt around the world. Bacardi and our brands including BACARDÍ® rum, MARTINI® vermouth & sparkling wines, GREY GOOSE vodka, PATRÓN® tequila, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin and DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch whisky, pledge USD$3 million in financial aid and other support to help the people on the frontlines of our industry during this unimaginable time.
This donation is in addition to the USD$1 million pledged by our PATRÓN® tequila brand last week.
There are established non-profits that are providing aid quickly to those in our industry hard hit by this pandemic. Some of the organizations we are working with include Another Round, Another Rally; CORE; the James Beard Foundation; Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation; and Tales of the Cocktail®.
And because our business is inherently local, many of our efforts around the world are grassroots – supporting bars and bartenders across countries, cities, and neighborhoods to provide real-time financial support, meals and other necessities to partners in need.
This is just the start. Our teams are working hard to identify more ways we can assist our on-trade community. We expect more outreach and activations to come. Our local teams, brands, and people are committed to lending a hand as this unprecedented hardship unfolds. Please follow #RaiseYourSpirits on Instagram to join this journey.
“Bacardi is a family company, and for us, business is personal. We always say that love for our brands is built-in bars, and now it is our turn to show them our love,” said Mahesh Madhavan, chief executive officer of Bacardi Limited.
“We don’t have all the answers today on how best to help everywhere, but we are committed to do what we can to see our industry through this crisis. These may be the darkest of days for bars and restaurants, but I am certain that when we come out on the other side, people will emerge from isolation with a renewed zest to live life to the fullest and celebrate together with friends and family.”
