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thing was built from the ground up, we were able to ensure the farm is organically
managed, the harvesting process is by hand and not machine, the distillery utilizes
the sugarcane stalks to run its boilers, the leftover ash is used to fertilize our crops
and water is captured naturally in the Belizean rain forest. e distillery, through
its efficient use of the raw inputs and the resultant biomass from the distillation
process, produces much of its own energy."
Back in 2005, Todd Robinson, a marine conservationist, started buying the prop-
erty of the surrounding rain forest and partnered with Anya Fernald of Belcampo.
Contributing to the health of the environment and the local community, today over
20,000 acres of land is the home to a luxury eco-lodge, a 3000-acre organic farm,
and the recent addition of Copal Tree Distillery.
While still young in the world of distilleries, Copal Tree Distillery takes a very
thoughtful approach to both their products and sustainability practices.
e distillery currently has two rum products on the market: White Rum and
Barrel Rested Rum. ey are made from only three natural components: heirloom
sugarcane juice, canopy water straight from the rain forest and yeast.
For those who are new to the rum distillation, sugar cane juice is mostly used in
the production of rhum agricole and clairin, which contributes to the grassiness
with a hint of sweetness in the rum profile. On the other hand, Belize's history as
a British colony has led to it being known for fuller body rum as a result of using
pot stills.
Ed Tiedge, the master distiller and the president at Copal Tree, took the best of
both worlds. To retain its freshness, sugarcane juice is pressed within two hours of
Richard Brinckmann, Copal Tree Farm Manager
