Wildflowers and Wildlife Thrive at Bacardi Bottling Facility

-- "Good Spirited" volunteers create vibrant green space at Bacardi Bottling Corporation

HAMILTON, Bermuda, May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A strategic swath of wildflowers graces the entrance to the Bacardi Bottling Corporation campus in Jacksonville, Florida. Free-flowing flocks of Black-eyed Susans and Blanket Flowers are a far cry from the typical landscaping generally associated with a large-scale industrial site.

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Specially designed with the help of local botanists, this garden helps attract birds and insects that promote pollination. On any given day outside the bottling facility, there are bees and butterflies – and more than a few rabbits and deer scampering about. More than 50 dedicated Bacardi employees volunteer energy and time nurturing and weeding the plot as part of a biodiversity project with the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC). The WHC promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on working lands through partnerships and education with the goal to increase the quality and amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private and public lands.

"As we mark this year's International Day for Biological Diversity, we recognize our employees for their efforts in building a more sustainable future in the work environment," says Eduardo Vallado, who oversees operations for Jacksonville and facilities throughout the Americas for Bacardi.

The pollinator garden at the Jacksonville campus is part of a long-term environmental plan for Bacardi. It not only enhances the natural habitat, it also controls invasive species on the 92 acre workplace, which bottles more than fifty percent of all the BACARDI® branded products sold around the world.

"Bacardi is doing a great job of environmental stewardship, they're actually stepping up and showing other companies what you can do, even on an industrial site," says Chuck McKelvy, a wildlife biologist who advises Bacardi Bottling Corporation on its biodiversity projects.

The WHC recently honored the extensive commitment by Bacardi Bottling Corporation to improve the environment at its northeast Florida site in presenting the Company with the prestigious Wildlife at Work certification. The multi-year project involves future installation of ponds, walking trails and blue martin birdhouses. These efforts reinforce the overall vision and scope of the "Good Spirited" sustainability initiative across the more than 150 markets where Bacardi sells its brands, including more than 75 offices and 27 manufacturing and bottling facilities.

"This program embodies the Company's global commitment to smart solutions for the environment and the natural resources we must respect. We are proud of the Bacardi team members in Jacksonville who have committed themselves to this effort," adds Vallado.

Building on current programs and efficiencies that reduce global impacts on the environment, the Bacardi Limited "Good Spirited" global sustainability program sets specific goals in three areas:

• Responsible Sourcing: Bacardi strives to obtain all raw materials and packaging from sustainably sourced, renewable or recycled materials while maintaining or enhancing the economic status of growers and suppliers. By 2017, the goal is to obtain 40 percent of the sugarcane-derived products used to make BACARDI rum from certified, sustainable sources – and 100 percent by 2022. This pledge from Bacardi is an industry first.
• Global Packaging: Bacardi commits to use eco-design to craft sustainability into its brand packaging and point-of-sale materials. By 2017, Bacardi plans to reduce the weight of its packaging by 10 percent and achieve 15 percent by 2022.
• Operational Efficiencies: Bacardi continues to focus on reducing water use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with a 2017 goal to cut water use by 55 percent and GHG emissions by 50 percent. In addition, Bacardi aims to eliminate landfill waste at all of its production sites by 2022.

To learn more about Bacardi Limited and its "Good Spirited: Building a Sustainable Future" environmental initiative for sourcing, packaging and operational efficiencies across the entire Bacardi family of premium spirits brands, visit http://www.bacardilimited.com/good-spirited.

About Bacardi Limited
Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDI® rum, the world's best-selling and most-awarded rum, as well as the world's most-awarded spirit; GREY GOOSE® vodka, the world's leading super-premium vodka; DEWAR'S® Blended Scotch whisky, the world's most-awarded blended Scotch; BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, the top-valued and fastest-growing premium gin in the world; MARTINI® vermouth and sparkling wines, the world's leading vermouth and the world's favorite Italian sparkling wines; CAZADORES® 100% blue agave tequila, one of the most popular premium tequilas in Mexico and the United States; and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON'S®, the fastest-growing global Scotch whisky brand; ERISTOFF® vodka, one of the fastest-growing vodka brands in the world; and ST-GERMAIN®, a super-premium elderflower liqueur.

Founded 152 years ago in Santiago de Cuba on February 4, 1862, family-owned Bacardi employs nearly 6,000 people, manufactures its brands at 27 facilities and sells in more than 150 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. www.BacardiLimited.com

About Bacardi Bottling Corporation
Founded in 1972, Bacardi Bottling Corporation is a Center of Excellence for Bottling and the sole bottling plant for BACARDI® rum branded products enjoyed in the United States. The facility also provides BACARDI® rum for export to Mexico, Canada, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Germany, South Korea, Costa Rica, South America, Israel, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

About BACARDI Rum
In 1862, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, founder Don Facundo Bacardi Masso revolutionized the spirits industry when he created a light-bodied rum with a particularly smooth taste – BACARDI. The unique taste of BACARDI rum inspired cocktail pioneers to invent some of the world's most famous recipes including the BACARDI Mojito, the BACARDI Daiquiri, the BACARDI Cuba Libre, the BACARDI Pina Colada and the BACARDI Presidente. BACARDI rum is the world's most awarded rum, and spirit, with more than 550 awards for quality, taste and innovation. Today, BACARDI rum is made in Puerto Rico and Mexico where it is crafted to ensure the taste remains the same as it did when it was first blended in 1862. www.bacardi.com

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