Don Papa Rum, a premium aged single-island rum from the Philippines, has rapidly gained a foothold in the global market, making its presence felt in 30 countries, with France, Germany, and Italy being its largest markets. Distilled and aged on the island of Negros Occidental, also known as "Sugarlandia," the rum boasts a distinctive flavor profile with notes of vanilla, honey, and candied fruits. This unique taste is attributed to the local sugar cane, American oak barrels, and the island's hot tropical climate.
In the first quarter of 2023, Diageo, a British multinational alcoholic beverage company, completed its acquisition of Bleeding Heart Rum Company for €260 million (about P15.48 billion). This expands opportunities for the Filipino brand, which has swiftly gained recognition as a premium rum since its inception in 2012 by founders Stephen Carroll, Andrew John Garcia, and Monica Llamas Garcia.Â
A year after this pivotal moment, the reins have been handed to Jo-Ann Ramos, Don Papa Rum's new president. She took over the role in January 2024 and, at the same time, serves as Commercial and Marketing head - Asia Pacific of the homegrown brand.
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Jo-Ann Ramos, New Don Papa Rum President, as a Brand Storyteller
Ramos has two decades of experience in the marketing and advertising industry, starting out as a Brand Executive for Cadbury UK in 2004 after receiving a bachelor's degree in Behavioral Sciences, Major in Organizational Development, from De La Salle University-Manila.
She rose through the ranks and worked with various companies, including pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, Samsung Electronics, Healthy Options, and Starbucks Philippines.
Ramos believes that in any team of creative storytellers, it's essential to ground ideas in the practical realities of execution. Drawing from her extensive experience across various industries—including F&B, FMCG, pharma, and tech—she has developed a keen ability to listen to diverse ideas, filter out what's necessary, and transform them into something highly creative, unique, and in perfect alignment with the brand.
"Patience is key. I didn’t start at the top; I had to learn everything on the job across different industries. You meet different personalities, and you learn how to pivot. Pivoting is critical in facing challenges, and in my experience, it’s about adjusting to different realities. Not every brand has a huge budget or recognition, but you make do. You push creativity and storytelling. Ultimately, it’s about refining storytelling, which is very useful for Don Papa because we are great storytellers," Ramos tells Esquire Philippines in an interview at The Curator, one of Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024.
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In April 2021, Ramos became Bleeding Heart Rum Company's Global Marketing Manager, a full-time position she held until she officially took the helm as president.
"It's been fun, don't get me wrong. It’s a rollercoaster ride, learning about so many things involved in managing a real business. There are good days and great days," she says.
Now almost into her second year as president, Ramos talks to Esquire Philippines about Don Papa Rum's identity and "Filipino-ness", as well as her leadership and vision for the expanding Filipino brand.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Don Papa Rum
Esquire Philippines: You mentioned having good days and great days. What's a great day like?
Jo-Ann Ramos: Great days are when you walk into a bar like The Curator, and you see a Don Papa cocktail on their menu because they see the value in having us there. Then you see people actually ordering and enjoying it. It’s basically about discovery and sharing. I think at the beginning, when they started Don Papa, the founders had that intention—discovering tastes, discovering the Philippines, and then sharing it.
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You see that on a regular basis. It’s a great day when people are drinking and enjoying it, sharing it with their friends or colleagues. Or when accounts, like Curator, talk about it without us telling them to because people are curious. That’s a great day.
Or when you travel, ask for rum and find it in some unexpected place. Like, say, a small spot in Germany or in a caviste in France. It's a great day because you wouldn't expect to find it there, but people are actually trying it and loving it.
What is Don Papa Rum for you?
Don Papa is effectively dreams realized. It’s the dreams of those who started the brand, fully achieved. Kasi, they started out thinking, 'Okay, what can we do that will be something that we can be proud of, that can be proudly Filipino?' Because obviously, we do have other brands here in the Philippines that offer rum. But what can we say that we did very well, were of high quality, and still proudly Pinoy, right?
Being here already for the past 12 years or so is a testament to that. We’ve been doing such a great job at realizing that one thought, one idea that they had in the basement of one of their homes—of the original founders. What can we offer? What can we do? And now that it’s out here with close to more than 30 markets’ availability, that is one dream realized.
Another is putting forth a proudly Filipino, high-quality product out there that isn’t limited. What I mean by limited is that there are a lot of proudly Filipino products out there, but they always end up being caged in a Filipino tribal. There are a lot of misconceptions about Asian and Filipino products. But it’s not bad. It’s just that once you’re caged into this, it seems like there is an expectation that this is all you can do.
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But the great thing about Don Papa is that it is, first and foremost, proudly from the Philippines and made here in Bacolod. But it pushes limits. You don’t see people saying, 'Don Papa pala is from the Philippines?' It’s that. That alone is a feat for us that we’ve been able to overcome and also, at the same time, be very proud of.
Lastly, I think Don Papa is creativity on steroids. Storytelling on steroids. Why? Because from the moment you see a bottle with a label on it, it’s eye-catching. You are lured into it. You’re just hooked. You want to know, who is this dude right in front of the label? Why are there tarsiers on his lapel? Why is his spectacle made up of whatever? Why does his upper lip have a snail? It’s meant for people to want to know the stories behind it. The great thing is that the stories behind it are all linked to Filipino stories and Filipino culture.
So that is Don Papa. It’s a portal to getting to know more about storytelling and the Filipino stories that go behind it—and dreams being realized.
"Don Papa Rum is storytelling on steroids."
What makes Don Papa Rum distinctly Filipino?
Simple. You know what? Molasses. I guess it's a blessing for me to be able to identify the differences in taste between Filipino molasses and those of other countries, for example. Apart from the molasses and how we actually produce or process them to become our rum, Don Papa Rum - Maskarra—for example—boasts three flavors that are very Filipino in nature: calamansi. All these other countries would have their own limes, but we only have the Filipino lime: calamansi. And that has calamansi. Siling labuyo is a Filipino flavor. It’s a spice, but Filipino, I mean, siling labuyo with calamansi and local honey. That makes it very Filipino. Tayo lang may gano'n. And then you couple it with our molasses. That is very Filipino.
Inspired by Bacolod's Masskara Festival, Don Papa Rum - Masskara is pot-distilled and infused with calamansi, honey, and siling labuyo.
Facebook / Don Papa Rum
So, apart from the taste, you best drink it pag nagchichikahan kayo with your friends and your family. You drink it as a cocktail, perhaps before dinner. After dinner, it could become a great dessert. There are a lot of markets nowadays where you have ube daiquiri, and it's made with Don Papa because it fits all the Filipino flavors. It just works.
So, again, just going through all those flavors, yung mga simple ng molasses, 'yung ilang ingredients na 'yan that is mixed with Don Papa makes it very Filipino. And how it's best experienced, whether it be dessert or pang-chikahan, it’s both the taste and the experience that go hand in hand that makes it Filipino.
Each bottle of Don Papa is aged in American Oak barrels for seven years. PHOTO: Facebook / Don Papa Rum
Did you have to adjust anything about Don Papa Rum for international markets while still maintaining its "Filipino-ness"?
That’s a very good question. I don’t think we’ve adjusted much in terms of liquid production. It’s always an evolution, keeping the signature Don Papa taste but ensuring it meets the standards of each market. European standards are more stringent, for example, whereas Asia has different standards. Each market has different standards, but Don Papa fits into all of them.
If you look at our portfolio, you’ll see different expressions and flavors for each market. Some are one-offs, depending on the yield, like our Don Papa Rum - Sevillana, which is inspired by Spain and uses three different types of barrel wood. It’s a limited yield, but the markets love it. We didn’t adjust our flavors to fit the market—it just works.
Don Papa Rum - Sevillana is aged in ex-bourbon American oak and finished in Vino de Naranja casks .40 percent AVB. It has fragrant orange and orange rind flavors with nutty aromas, subtle dried fruits, and a smoky, velvety mouthfeel.
Website / Don Papa Rum
What’s great about Don Papa is that it’s adaptable. You don’t need to do much. Just create a great product, and it falls into place. We don’t adjust the liquid or our storytelling to fit a market’s palate or culture. We maintain our authenticity. It’s either you love us, or you don’t.
We talked about opportunities and great days. What are the current challenges for Don Papa Rum?
You know what the great thing is? Being part of this large conglomerate [Diageo], the challenge is always to put your money where your mouth is. So when they acquired us, obviously, there’s a business plan. 'Hit this, and then we know for sure that we actually made a great decision in buying you guys.' And it’s not for anything. I think it’s just normal for any business to have that kind of expectation. I think, based on our latest results, we have done just that. And we continue to push our limits internally. We have high standards. We have high hopes for our markets that drive Don Papa. But I think the challenge here is how else can we challenge ourselves to deliver even something more spectacular than what we’ve already shown Diageo so far in our markets? So now, for the Philippines or Asia Pacific, it’s how we can fast-track expansion. How can we penetrate more markets that could use a Don Papa bottle or two in each of their bars? How can we integrate our culture? How can we share our culture with these other markets that have just discovered this gem of a country yet?
Personally, I have a passion for getting to all these other markets because I want people to know more about the Philippines. I feel it’s our job here to constantly push our market and our country to people who have no idea where the Philippines is. We normally get people who visit the Philippines, the Don Papa office here in Makati. When we ask them, 'Is this your first time in Asia?' [They would say,] 'Oh, no, no. We’ve been to Thailand. We’ve been to Singapore.' 'So this is your first time in the Philippines?' 'Yes. We didn’t know this existed.' And so we feel very passionate, to a certain degree, patriotic, to kind of get the Philippines out there through Don Papa.
As a Filipino, I feel proud every single time we introduce a bottle of Don Papa to a new country, a new person. They realize, 'This is a good bottle of rum by a Filipino brand, by the Philippines.' I mean, who would have known? Apart from the other brands out there, who knew that rum could taste this great? From the Philippines. And so that, for me, is a challenge. It’s great, but we still have so much to do, right?
"Don Papa is effectively dreams realized."
Are you seeing new trends in the alcohol industry? How is Don Papa capitalizing on that?
I think number one would be sustainability, and number two would be conscious drinking.
Within the Diageo space, we have other brands that they’re working on that have either less alcohol or zero alcohol. Right now, that is one of the things that we’re studying. Again, it’s hard to deliver on rum. I haven’t really come across a zero-percent alcohol rum yet, but it’s not far. Obviously, if and when we actually launch a product that could be well within those parameters that are very conscious of giving that consumer a responsible way of taking in the product, I think we only do that if it’s going to give that same experience. You still get very high quality, and the flavors of Don Papa are still there, but we’re still in that R&D stage. Let’s see what we come up with.
At this point, that’s all in the works. There are so many things that we’re working on right now. It’s actually fun because, obviously, we had some R&D before, but it was limited because, obviously, we were just a small brand then. But now, with the merging of Don Papa into Diageo, Diageo has given us so much in terms of resources that allow us to expand our R&D initiatives. If they’ve been able to do that in other brands, it’s just a matter of time before you see a Don Papa possibly having that kind of direction as well.
Then we talk about sustainability, right? Sustainability comes in packaging. We started off a few years back. Three or four years ago, when I joined the company, I would see them having so much packaging, paper packaging for every single thing. As the years went by, that’s when I saw that we were conserving a lot of packaging. You rarely see them have packaging over packaging over packaging; obviously, that’s one. Second, bottles. There’s a project right now that we’re looking into, exploring ideas on more sustainable ingredients or elements for the bottle and the actual packaging because that’s where the direction of Diageo is headed. We have to be more sustainable in our actual receptacles for the liquid. That’s something in the works as well, which I’m very proud of. When we have events, we always use compostable, like bagasse-made cups.
Even our partners for the distillery or the mill reuse a lot of energy, whether it be water, electrical, and so on. There are a lot of changes now that I have not seen when I first started, which is great, right? Because we’re heading into those kinds of improvements and developments within the company. Conscious drinking and sustainability.
Facebook / Don Papa Rum
How would you describe your leadership style in three words?
I’d like to think I’m collaborative, but not in a breathing-down-your-neck kind of way. I let my team, most of whom are Gen Zs, work freely. I also have one Gen X'er and another millennial, my direct marketing manager. I don’t micromanage; I collaborate. I ask, 'What are our big ideas now? What’s your vision for this market?' Then we spitball ideas.
We’ve carried over a practice from the founders—creative workshops, where we take a single idea and expand it. How do we see it running in the market? Where and how will it be experienced? We don’t cage ourselves in, and I try to continue that legacy.
Another thing is that I don’t take no for an answer. There’s always a way to make things happen without stepping on people’s toes. Diskarte is key. I’ve been in brand management for 20 years. I started from the bottom, and I’ve learned a lot—how to get creative ideas out of people and stay relevant.
Lastly, I listen. Having Gen Zs on the team has taught me new ways of doing things. As a millennial, I’ve learned so much from them.
Courtesy of Don Papa Rum
What's your vision for Don Papa Rum?
You know, there are a lot of successful Filipino brands out there. There aren't a lot of successful executives who are also fighting for Filipino awareness and rights, just getting us heard in terms of our culture and traditions. People are aware of other Asian countries, but it's only recently that Filipinos have been getting due attention. So, for me, to be in this position, to push the Filipino stories and the Filipino culture, is a passion and also a promise.
What can you actually do as a single person to push that? Pushing your love for your own country. That's what I'm doing now. If you ask me, what's my legacy? It's getting Don Papa out there, more people learning about our culture and our history, and the many, many stories that go hand in hand with my experience.
On a personal note, being able to grow this team is why they hired me as well; I wanted to teach them what I had learned throughout my 20 years of working. My "experience," growing up as a marketing person was never easy. I had to learn things on my own. Some people would be generous with coaching and teaching what they know, but some aren't. I said when they hired me, I wanted to teach what I knew so that I could attract more people in this industry to do this because it's such a fulfilling job.
It's not sometimes a job anymore. You just see people doing more than what they used to do when they first started coming in. It’s such a fulfilling experience. You see fresh grads now. When you are part of someone's development, it just becomes a whole new, fulfilling experience for you. For Don Papa, because they're mostly Gen Z's here, I have that responsibility on my shoulders to teach them and open their eyes to new things that they weren't taught to do when they were in college. It’s helping them expand their world as well.
At the end of it all, apart from my personal goals, it’s really just pushing proudly Filipino first. That’s it.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
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