After a lengthy period of uncertainty and consumer backlash, Maison Ferrand has finally decided to change its Plantation Rum name. The company first promised this change in June 2020. From now on, it will be known as Planteray Rum. Maison Ferrand owner Alexandre Gabriel revealed this change today at the West Indies Rum Distillery in Barbados. The first product under the new name will be Cut & Dry Coconut Rum, followed by other brands as the existing bottles run out. Find the full announcement here.
At the press conference, Gabriel explained that the new name is meant to pay respect to the sugarcane plant that gives life to the rum, and the sun’s rays, which are essential for the growth and ripening of the sugarcane.
The new name is seemingly more suitable, although some people might mistake it for “planetary”. However, it appears that the goal was to select a name that didn’t stray too far visually from “Plantation”, but also avoided the historically racial connotation. The older name was widely criticized for years and was brought into sharper focus during the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. The brand representatives initially defended it, arguing that “plantation” was simply a reference to the French word for “farm”. However, they changed this stance in late June 2020 and admitted the correlation between the word and the slave trade.
This change triggered an extensive process of finding a new name, with many upset the process was taking so long. Some even accused Maison Ferrand of intentionally delaying or hoping public interest would wane, eliminating the need for a name change. Alexandre Gabriel countered these accusations explaining that the delay was due to complex international business and trademark laws. He called it a daunting and long process in a 2022 interview, and stated the final name had to be usable in over 100 countries where the company supplies its products.
It appears that Planteray Rum is the chosen name, irrespective of its initial strange appeal. However, it might take some time before this name starts to surface on familiar Plantation Rum brands in the U.S., mainly because the company has a large inventory of custom glass imprinted with “Plantation.” But, in due course, the new name will prominently feature on all of the company’s products, while the remainder of the labels will stay the same. We can only hope that “Planteray” doesn’t end up being unintentionally offensive in some other way when everything is settled.
Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and a resident expert on spirits. Feel free to follow him on Twitter for more beverage related content.
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