A start-up rum brand has won a competition run by MHW that will see Campesino Rum receive US$15,000 worth of support as it looks to enter the US.
‘Make Your Mark with MHW‘ culminated last week at Bar Convent Berlin, with three recently-founded spirits brands pitching to a panel of judges including Global Drinks Intel editor Olly Wehring. Campesino, founded by Alabama native Hatton Smith, beat out Japanese gin Wabi Sabi and the Netherlands’ MOÅ Vodka for the top prize.
Smith devised the idea for Campesino during a two-year stint volunteering in Panama, where he discovered and experimented with a spirits still. On his return to the US in 2019, he started work on Campesino, blending rums from the Caribbean and Central America for the brand’s two expressions.
Featuring a swing-top closure, the brand – which takes its name from the Spanish for ‘farmer’ – does not include any added sugar, according to Smith.
“A special thank you to MHW for hosting the ‘Make Your Mark’ pitch competition and our amazing judges for selecting Campesino Rum as the 2023 winner,” said Smith in a LinkedIn post following the final in Berlin.
As well as the importation and distribution support from New York-based MHW, the top prize included a $2,500 membership to trade organisation Women of the Vine & Spirits.
