Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/471637
march 2015 / the tasting panel / 65 A s any company knows (or will learn in due time), conquering a new territory comes with an uphill battle. Take Destilería Serrallés's word for it. The number-one rum brand in Puerto Rico, with a 70% market share, reintroduced Don Q rum to the U.S. with just 40,000 cases in 2008. But seven years later, with the direction of Serrallés USA and its COO, John Eason, their sales numbers have taken off—252,000 cases in 2013—and the company's portfolio has diversified beyond the realm of rum. Considering estimations now put the population of Puerto Ricans living in America higher than that of the population in the Caribbean territory itself, Eason traces the early roots of Don Q's success in the U.S. back to these consumers: "The Puerto Rican community in the U.S. is fiercely loyal. Launching in cities with a large Puerto Rican population was easy because they know and love our rums." Ties to the island may have made the transition of the award-winning Don Q easier during the initial stages, but it complicated factors down the line. When the brand realized many customers outside of Puerto Rico had difficulty pronouncing its name due to the packaging, it took a considerable amount of time to reconcile the tastes of both markets and decide on one logo that would improve consumer awareness in the U.S. without disrupting sales at home. Additionally, since Puerto Rico does not have the three-tier system, timing became a hurdle that the Serrallés USA team had to overcome; unlike their parent company, they couldn't control their own fate—the distributors did. Even facing all of these obstacles, Eason—who started with Serrallés in 2008 as Vice President, National Sales Manager—saw growing the company as the ultimate opportunity: "I've been in this industry a long time and have had every job imaginable, but without a doubt, my favorite part is to sell. There is nothing better than to plant the seeds of a brand and watch it blossom." What started as a single flower has now devel- oped into an entire garden, as the Serrallés USA team adds new spirits to the company's portfolio, which now includes eight expressions of Don Q Rum, Caliche Rum, three expressions from Death's Door Spirits (a gin, vodka and white whisky), Wondermint Schnapps Liqueur, Barrow's Intense Ginger Liqueur and Kringle Cream Liqueur. Many of these new offerings have found their way to Eason through the grapevine of the spirits industry, or as he sees it: "Good people gravitate towards good people." While he keeps his ear to the ground for new brands that he would like to add to the family, Eason doesn't jump too quickly to make any decision—he wants to keep their selection tight and manageable, so he can ensure that each of the expressions gets attention from his sales group. "The best advice I ever received while in this industry was that, in order to grow and be a great salesman, you have to know how to follow the money, which is something I have taken to heart in this role," Eason explains. "It's important that the brands in our portfolio work off of each other to create revenue for the bar, the store and our distributors. We will always be a rum company, but the portfolio needs to be well rounded with premium entries in all categories and amazing ancillary brands that work well with each other" Well, in that case, we will patiently (and eagerly) be awaiting Eason and Serrallés USA's next move. Eason with a sampling of Serrallés USA's growing portfolio.