Equiano Rum has selected Anti-Slavery International as the first recipient of its grant program. The charity works to eliminate contemporary forms of slavery around the world.
Named in honor of Nigerian abolitionist and freedom fighter Olaudah Equiano, the Afro-Caribbean Rum brand donates 5% of its profits to freedom and equality projects across the globe. Furthermore, the brand’s co-founders–Oli Bartlam, Aaisha Dadral, Ian Burrell, and Amanda Kakembo–have pledged to donate $2 from each bottle sold through the company’s website to created the Equiano Rum Co Foundation.
“We each came into this business with a commitment to do business, better,” write the owners. “We made this pledge before we had a business registered, before a name or a product had been conceived. We have each experienced or witnessed adversity, hurdles and hard times in our lives and careers. We each acknowledge the role that businesses play in addressing such experiences.”
Founded in 1839, Anti-Slavery International investigates and exposes current cases of slavery and campaigns for its eradication while pressing for more effective implementation of national and international laws against slavery. It is the oldest human rights organization in the world.
“Equiano was an extraordinary human and certainly one that we should all know and learn about,” said Dadral. “As founders, we’re passionate about all that he fought for and the Equiano Rum Co Foundation is part of our commitment to championing his values in today’s world. We’re proud to select Anti-Slavery as the recipient of the Equiano Rum Co Foundation’s first grant. Their dedication to ending modern-day slavery coupled with the way they work on the ground in relevant territories resonated with us all. We’re looking forward to supporting and sharing more of their empowering work and continuing the work of Olaudah Equiano.”
The funds raised from every sale on Equiano’s website site go directly to The Equiano Rum Co Foundation Grant, which will support Anti-Slavery International throughout the next year.
Launched last summer, Equiano Rum is aged in ex-Cognac and ex-Bourbon casks. The blend comes from a mix of Rums made at Gray’s distillery in Mauritius and Fourquare in Barbados.