Project Update, January 2019

We wanted to welcome in an exciting new year – which will see Grenada’s game-changing Renegade Rum Distillery complete construction – with an update on how we’ve been progressing for the past few months. And we’ve been up to rather a lot… Not only have we planted a huge number of new locations with premium sugar cane, but we’re now one of the island’s biggest employers, with 120 regular team members, and an additional 25 seasonal staff.

The existing farms, which we set up back in 2016/7, total at 146 acres. These plots of land, each one seeing the cane grown there develop in slightly different ways (because that’s a big part of what it’s all about), includes:

• 30 acres at Hope Estate
• 50 acres at River Antoine
• 20 acres at Westerhall #1
• 40 acres at Bacolet #1
• 6 acres at Plains.

Planted in 2017, and being already fully mature, they were harvested, shredded and distributed as mulch during 2018. This is a fantastic organic method to help give back to the soil. Even better,  it ensures that the July 2019 harvest, which will go to Renegade Rum to make a truly superior rum from pure cane juice, will be the best it can be. If they don’t have the best ingredients, how can they make the best rum?

57 acres were planted during 2018 including:

• 6 acres at La Sagesse
• 10 acres at Bacolet #2
• 9 acres at Westerhall Estate #2
• 32 acres at Dunfermline Estate.

The Year Ahead

So what have we got planned for new land throughout 2019? Well, we’re busier than ever before, with a further 200 acres of planting is lined-up. This includes:

• 9 acres at Pearls, close to distillery site
• 20 acres at Great Bacolet Point to be cleared in March
• 40 acres at Meadows adjacent to the distillery in May 2019
• 11 acres at nearby Tivoli.

We are hopeful that we can lease a further 30 acres at Conference, which should become available early on in the year too.

This all sounds like a lot of land. – and to Renegade Rum Distillery it provides the perfect amount of sugarcane – but this still only represents less than 0.125% of Grenada’s total land area!

New People, New Equipment

We’ve appointed two farm managers, Aquart Lewis and Devon McSween, who are responsible for the Southern and Northern farms. They’ll be reporting to BJ, our Agricultural Director.

You may also see two young English agricultural grads out in the fields, Ollie and Freddie. They’ve come over to help us acquire new equipment that’s robust enough for the Caribbean. They’ll also help to train up our guys on the machinery.

And we’ve plenty of machinery!

We’ve now added four tractors (increasing the island’s total by 50%) with attachments, a 26 ton excavator, a 5 ton mini excavator, trailers, tankers, shredder, two trucks, cane ‘thumpers’ harvesters, and assorted agricultural tools, spares and associated equipment.

Another very modern piece of technology is drone, which will massively improve access to our fields and the efficiency of our operation. Don’t forget, cane can be 10-feet tall…