A Fishing Trip Gone Awry Began a Quest for a Lasting Solution

An avid fly fishermen, the brand’s founder traveled to the little known country of Belize with the intent of fishing. Belize is a small, beautiful country nestled between Mexico and Guatemala, and bordered to the east by the Caribbean Sea.

60% of Belize is dense sub-tropical rainforest, with exotic wildlife and one of the world’s richest ecosystems. 45+ globally threatened species, including the jaguar, harpy eagle and the Tapir rely on this habitat for survival, as do at least 18 other species unique to the Belizean rainforest.

During his travels the brand’s founder saw the devastating impact that rainforest logging and unsustainable fishing were inflicting on the region’s aquatic ecosystem. The result – very few fish. Further investigation revealed the core problem. Logging was one of the very few jobs available where the local people could make close to a living wage. They were left with no choice but to log and fish in an unsustainable manner, which also threatened the rich biodiversity’s habitat.

Working Together for Lasting Social and Environmental Harmony.

The Copalli Rum founder developed an alternative sustainable business model designed to promote a healthy rainforest, community, people, river, ocean and the rich biodiversity they support.

It took 14 years to build this sustainable model, and its 3 core businesses; the Copal Tree Distillery, which crafts Copalli Rum, a supporting farming operation, the Copal Tree Farm, which grows and harvests the brand’s organic heirloom sugar cane, and an eco-tourism hospitality endeavor, the Copal Tree Lodge. This network provides the infrastructure to support the Copalli Rum mission and has grown to become the largest non-governmental employer in Southern Belize, paying employees a competitive salary. Importantly, the Copalli ecosystem directly contributes to the well-being of its workers and their families while allowing the unique environment and biodiversity of the region to thrive.