27 September 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Brussels hosted the Belgium product launch for Don Papa Rum on September 24, at the Chancery’s Bulwagan ng mga Pangulo.  Representatives from high-end wine and spirits stores, hotels and restaurants, and specialty magazines were on hand to sample the sugarcane-based rum.

Don Papa Rum is a premium aged small batch rum produced in Negros Occidental.  It is made from 100 per cent local sugar cane, and is distilled and aged entirely in the province. The rum has been successfully making inroads into the European market since it was launched in the Philippines in July 2012.           

The Rum has won awards for product innovation and packaging design in the United Kingdom, the United States and France.

In his welcome remarks, Minister and Consul General Robespierre Bolivar invited the guests to discover “an excellent product and the exciting country and warm and friendly people that made it.”

Mr. Stephen Carroll, owner of Bleeding Heart Rum Company, related the story of Don Papa Rum, including its namesake Don Papa Isio, a Negros revolutionary who fought for Philippine independence.

The Embassy also showcased the Philippines as a tourism and investment destination during the product launch.   

The product launch reception featured innovative interpretations of classic Filipino cuisine, such as okoy, tinola soup, and pork asado, created especially for the event by freelance chefs Yannick van Aeken and Louise Bannon, formerly sous chef and pastry chef, respectively of the world famous NOMA in Copenhagen.   END