activity when I turned 70. As the rum factory is located in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, it was beginning to be a long way from my home in Cayenne. And then I decided that it was time to enjoy the fruits of my labour, after 35 years of developing the rum distillery, and 15 others previously spent in the service of the family business: we have been producing rum for four generations, and my rum distillery was the last one in operation, out of the seventeen dis- tilleries that once existed in French Guiana.
Jean-Emmanuel Hay: How you feel after sel- ling your business ?
Ernest Prévot: With the satisfaction of having achieved my objectives. I completely rebuilt the distillery, which was dilapidated. Since 2013, the company's success has been confir- med. Of course, there was covid and the consequences that we know, difficult sugar cane harvests. It was necessary to start again with heavy investments in view of the new environmental standards. In short, it was time for me to pass the torch. La Belle Cabresse is in good health with a significant potential for development, as demand is higher than pro- duction despite the objectives I had set myself: 10,000 tonnes of sugar cane for one million litres of rum! I have always given priority to my compatriots, with local distribution (not having the means to invest further) and with the desire to meet consumer expectations.
Jean-Emmanuel Hay: What were your criteria for selecting the buyer, the GBH group?
Ernest Prévot: I think I chose the right people, driven by the desire to take the rum distillery further, with expertise and substantial finan- cial resources. If I wasn't convinced by these essential points, I might have pushed my son more to take over Rhums Saint-Maurice. But this is a business with a lot at stake, and I want the company to be sustainable: jobs depend on it! The product itself deserves to retain its uni- queness, it is different from Caribbean rum, thanks to traditional local methods, and perhaps to the climate. My Caribbean counterparts agree.
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