Interview: Top Cuban rum brand to expand market in Asia

Cuba's top rum brand, Havana Club, will seek to increase sales in China and the rest of Asia, its top executive said Monday.

"We have very good business perspectives in Asia, particularly in China. Today, we do not sell as much as we would like to, but we hope to increase our sales and markets," Jerome Cottin-Bizone, director general of Havana Club International, told Xinhua.

He said the company is working hard to intensify its presence in the Chinese market.

"The cocktail culture is not very well-known in China but we have seen a boom in the creation of bars in cities like Shanghai and Beijing that could lead us to expansion with our different rums and brands," he added.

Cottin-Bizone believed that Havana Club can become the top rum brand in China, leading to a major increase in sales for the company.

Havana Club sells around 50 million bottles of rum a year, with its top markets being Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Britain, Canada and Chile.

The Cuban-French company's sales increased by 17 percent last year and it is currently ranked 21st in the world among all spirit makers.

Another goal for Havana Club is to enter the U.S. market where 40 percent of the rum consumed in the world is sold. However, as long as the economic embargo lasts, this cannot happen.

"We believe that, in the near future, we will be able to sell Havana Club rum in the U.S. That would mean a great deal for our company," said Cottin-Bizone. Endi