Saint James Rhum Agricole

Product

Saint James Rhum Agricole

Specific location of origin

Sainte-Marie, Martinique

Saint James Rhum Agricole is produced from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses. Sugarcane is harvested in Martinique, crushed to extract the juice, then fermented and distilled. The rum is connected to Martinique’s AOC system, which regulates origin and production standards.

The supply chain begins with sugarcane grown in Martinique. The cane is processed into rhum agricole by Saint James, then bottled and exported through international alcohol distribution networks. In British Columbia, the product reaches consumers through the BC Liquor Distribution Branch and BC Liquor Stores.

The power balance is uneven. Producers and workers in Martinique do the agricultural and production work, but much of the final value is shaped by branding, export markets, import systems, and retailers. Canadian consumers mainly see the product as a premium imported rum, while the labour and historical conditions behind sugarcane production are mostly hidden.

The system could be improved by greater transparency into labour and environmental conditions, stronger worker protections, and certification standards that go beyond quality and origin. AOC-style regulation could include labour fairness and environmental sustainability, not just production methods and regional identity.

Dehoorne, O., & Cao, H. (2005). Mobility and tourist locations: The case of Martinique Island, a French territory in the Caribbean. Belgeo, 1–2, 121–134. https://doi.org/10.4000/belgeo.12628

Mandelblatt, B. (2011). Atlantic consumption of French rum and brandy and economic growth in the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Caribbean. French History, 25(1), 9–27. https://doi.org/10.1093/fh/crr021

Schincariol, V. E., Barbosa, M. S., & Yeros, P. (2017). Labour trends in Latin America and the Caribbean in the current crisis (2008–2016). Agrarian South, 6(1), 113–141. https://doi.org/10.1177/2277976017721319