Nearly one hundred and fifty brands from more than forty countries were present at the Rhum Fest in Paris this weekend, and among these, the Mana’o and Manutea brands for French Polynesia. Now present for several years, these two producers are pleased to note that Polynesian rum is becoming more and more popular, attracting both professionals and amateurs wishing to discover other origins. Having won several prizes at the Concours général agricole, Polynesian rums can only try to win other medals. Thus, this Sunday, Mana’o was noticed at the Paris Rum Fest international competition with two gold medals: one for Rangiroa rum and the other for 50 degree white rum.
On his small stand, Philippe Jugé (although a recognized specialist in whiskeys) had the art and manner of praising Mana’o to his attentive visitors, glass in hand. Customers who managed to follow his words despite the fatal hubbub of this type of trade show. A real course in botany and distillery with the added bonus of mentioning the benefits of Fenua. “We are impatiently waiting for our old rum, adds Philippe Jugéthe one that we age in amphorae – which is surprising here in Paris.’”
For his part, Étienne Houot, sales and logistics director of Manutea, confirms the trend: “More and more people are coming to the stand saying they have heard about Polynesian rum and want to experience it. We are paving our way on the metropolitan market and Polynesian rum will seduce with its geographical originality, its atypical profile and its different taste. We are therefore very satisfied to be able to share this new pleasure with our distribution partners in mainland France.” Étienne Houot, too, is impatiently awaiting the classification of protected geographical indication, as well as local recognition at the Polynesian level at the end of 2024 beginning of 2025 and the defense of the file by Inao, the National Institute of Appellations of Origin , at the European level. He also talks about diversification: “There is also an audience for the ‘Arranged Rums’ segment. It’s a great gateway to discovering the world of rum. But, we will have to wait until we have more juice production.”
And when we talk about the Paris fair which has been held since the 1er May and this, for 12 days (with only a Polynesian stand!), our two exhibitors agree to recognize that there is indeed an opportunity to return there, facing the West Indian or Reunionese producer exhibitors. But this comes at a cost and there is room to find a way to encourage local brands. Not just at the Agricultural Show.
