Visiting Bacardi HQ in Bermuda

Bacardi is the world’s largest privately held, family-owned spirits company. It’s still led by the Bacardi family, descendants of Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, who founded the company in Santiago de Cuba in 1862.

I had the chance to visit their global headquarters in Bermuda during the Commonwealth Leaders Dialogue Canada study tour. What stood out to me the most was that the building was built using the original architectural plans intended for their Havana headquarters before the Cuban revolution. It makes me thin a lot about legacy and long-term thinking.

Did you know? Bacardi houses over 220 brands! Something I hadn’t fully appreciated until walking through it. We toured the space, heard the history, and did a small tasting of their spirits.

What stood out most wasn’t just the size of the business, but how it has endured quietly adapting through geopolitical shifts while staying in family hands.

Longevity like that doesn’t happen by accident.