January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Bacardi honours legacy with 150th anniversary time capsule
TUESDAY, DEC. 11: More than 100 items from around the world have been buried in a time capsule at Bacardi’s global headquarters in Bermuda.
The spirits company installed the six ft by one ft stainless steel capsule at its iconic building in Pitts Bay Road, Hamilton, to commemorate its 150th anniversary year.
The event, attended by Bacardi Ltd bosses and its Bermuda staff, plus local dignitaries, culminated a year of celebration for the world’s largest family-owned spirits company.
Bacardi began in Santiago de Cuba on February 4, 1862, when founder Don Facundo Bacardi Masso bought a small tin-roofed distillery in which to make rum.
Yesterday his great-great-grandson and company chairman, Facundo L. Bacardi, honoured his legacy, describing the 150th anniversary as “a milestone few companies have ever reached, and one we are incredibly proud of”.
“Not only does the time capsule act as a living time shot of Bacardi in 2012, it’s also a message from our current day employees to our employees 60 years from today, in 2062,” said Mr Bacardi.
“In order to honour the enduring legacy that Bacardi has provided to many of us, the time capsule will be opened on our 200th anniversary, on February 4, 2062.
“Bacardi employees representing North America, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, carefully selected mementos that had the most meaning for them in this historic year, for inclusion in the time capsule.”
He added: “We are very proud to be based here in Bermuda.”
Ed Shirley, Bacardi Ltd president and CEO, said: “I couldn’t be more pleased to have the global headquarters office safeguard these precious artefacts for our 150th anniversary year.”
The time capsule symbolizes ‘the unity, passion and pioneering spirit of Bacardi’. It is sealed with a granite top, inside a cement pedestal.
Inside lie items from 38 countries, including a medal commemorating BACARDI rum as the ‘World’s Most Awarded Spirit’, a storage gourd from Kenya, and a ‘USA yearbook’ containing the newspaper headlines from 2012.
Among the items from Bermuda are a custom card signed by all the Bacardi Bermuda staff, and a copy of the Bermuda Sun’s Bacardi 150th anniversary supplement, published earlier this year.
The commemoration ended with a traditional Bermuda roof wetting, with a three litre bottle of Bacardi’s signature Superior rum.
Among the dignitaries present were Governor George Fergusson, Premier Paula Cox, Opposition Leader Craig Cannonier, and US Consul General Bob Settje.
Buglers from the Bermuda Regiment Band and Hamilton Town Crier Ed Christopher also joined in the celebrations.
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