QUAKE LEVELS BARBANCOURT DISTILLERY

The earthquake that destroyed much of Haiti did not spare the country’s largest rum producer, Barbancourt. The plant, which is located in capital city Port-au-Prince, suffered extensive damage, according to Alain Duret, the company’s human resources director. An entire exterior wall of the distillery was knocked down, equipment was damaged and barrels of ageing rum were destroyed – although the group had shipped stock to its distributor in New York twenty-four hours before the earthquake struck. Production was not expected to resume for at least a month. “Everything is uncertain,” Duret said at the time. “Hopefully in a week or so we will have a better idea of the extent of the damage.” He confirmed that two employees had died and about 2O% of the 43O staff lost their homes during the earthquake.