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Marco Pierini and Francesco Rufini
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La Casa del Rum
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Casa del Rum View
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La Casa del Rum Booth in Italy
Marco Pierini (left) and Francesco Rufini (right)
On behalf of the entire “Got Rum?” staff, I want to thank Marco Pierini and Francesco Rufini from BarBagnoRoma, which operates under the brand name La Casa del Rum (The House of Rum) for taking the time to grant us this interview.
Their business is located in Follonica, a little town on the coast of Tuscany, Italy. They take pride in serving the best rums they can, so much that they have even become the importers for some of the products they want to offer to their customers.
I wish them great success!
Margaret Ayala,Publisher
Q: How did you get star ted in the rum industry?
Well, I, Marco, run a little tourist firm on the beach. Some years ago Francesco began to work with me during the summer. Then we decided to improve the beach bar that was part of my business. We decided its specialty should be rum and rum cocktails. At the beginning we had no specific expertise in that field, but we loved this new enterprise and we worked hard to improve our skills and knowledge.
Q: When did you open La Casa del Rum and why?
The new course of the bar began in 2008, but it was only in 2010 that we started to offer a wide selection of non commercial, rare, good, premium rums and special cocktails made with them. We were conscious that in our town a quality rum and cocktails bar did not exist and that people would appreciate it.
Q: What are some things your customers can expect when they walk into La Casa del Rum?
Two little nice terraces on the beach. One on the promenade, the other over looking the sea, few meters from the shore. 80 kinds of rum, all of them quality rums, without the most famous commercial brands that you can get in every shop and supermarket. 40 cocktails made with those rums, fresh fruit and the best syrups.
Q: What are your hours of operation? Are you open all year long?
The bar opens at 10 am as a normal beach bar ( coffee, soft drinks, ice creams, salads etc.) and stays open till 7 pm. Then it closes for the cleaning and for a change of atmosphere and opens again at 10 pm as La Casa del Rum till 3 am. We are open only in the summer, from June to September.
Q: Do you do any food and/or cigar pairings with rums at La Casa del Rum? Do you of fer rum tastings?
We cannot offer cooked meals, we have little space and Italian regulations on food production and sale are very complicated. The terraces are open, there are no glass windows and it is possible to smoke. For next summer we plan to organize cigar pairings with the help of some cigar experts.
Q: What rums are you selling the most of at La Casa del Rum ? Why?
In the normal price category, we sell Ron Montero the most. It is a light rum produced in Spain by the only rum distillery in continental Europe. Among the premium rums, our best seller is Rum Quorhum, a brand located in the Dominican Republic with Cuban know-how and experts. Also Seale’s 10 years sells extremely well, it is produced by Foursquare Distillery in Barbados.The reason is that these are good rums at a reasonable price and also that we love them and so we often recommend them to our clients.
Q: In addition to selling rums at La Casa del Rum, you also distribute rums in Italy, what rums are you currently distributing? Are you looking to distribute more rums?
Yes, we distribute Montero, Quorhum, Seale’s and Ron Hero (a new rum from which we expect great things) in Tuscany and in few other cities in Italy. In one month’s time we hope to offer our own rum: 2004 La Casa del Rum N° 1 . It is a single barrel limited edition of less than 300 bottles. We are very proud of it.
Q: How is the rum market in Italy different from the rest of Europe?
In spite of the difficult economic period we live in, the Italian way of life is still centered on quality things. You know, the 3 efs: Food, Fashion and Ferrari. In the beverage market it is the same. In Italy adult consumers prefer to drink less, but drink better. They are willing to spend their money on premium and super premium rums, maybe more than in other countries. But they want something really good inside the bottle.
Q: I also understand you have a blog, can you tell us about your blog?
Our blog is www.ilsecolodelrum.it (The century of rum). Our aim is to try and inform the readers about rum: festivals, business, tastings, history etc. We are sorry, but it is only in Italian.
Q: If people want to contact you, how may they reach you?
They can visit our website www.lacasadelrum.it or write to info@barbagnoroma.it. The website is only in Italian, but people can write to us also in English and Spanish.
Q: Is there a particular message (or comment) you would like to share with our readers?
The name of the blog is our message: Il Secolo del Rum i.e. The Century of Rum. With the due respect owed to other famous spirits, like Whisky and Brandy, we think they are somewhat outdated and that rum is the spirit of our century.