BROCKTON—Deep in the coastal terrain of Léogâne, Haiti, is a sugarcane business so close to the ocean you can catch a whiff of the ocean breeze. Four lifelong friends from Brockton started a company with the hopes of making a change in Haiti.
Everyone in college called Eddy Jean, Dwayne Naitram, Joseph Roseme, and Jean Alexandre the “The Rhum Boys”, which later manifested into a thriving business two decades later, Navèt 1804, a Haitian rum brand.
The four created the brand to honor their Haitian and Caribbean lineage and “bonded over the shared affection for the culture.” They hope to change the way people think about Haiti. The business uses a portion of its profits to produce change in the community.
What makes Nativé 1804 so special?
What makes Nativé 1804 so special compared to other rum brands? Well, the secret is in the organic sugarcane farmed and distilled by a family-owned distillery with over 75 years of experience in Léogâne. Sugarcane juice creates a “unique” spirit native to Haiti called clairin, which also translates to clear in Creole.
“Haiti is known to produce “the best sugarcane in the world,” Roseme said. “The difference between our clairin and other products on the market is that they use molasses, while our product heavily relies on the sugarcane plant.”
How the different climates of Haiti benefit sugarcane flavor
What makes the sugarcane so “delicious is the soil and sun” it comes from and the different climates around Haiti. Different climates produce different products; ultimately, the brand blends these flavors together to craft its own flavors of Haiti.
“The microclimate, the temperature, the humidity, everything that’s going on changes the characteristic of the end product of the sugarcane, so now when we get into Léogâne, we have access to three different microclimates including sugarcane growing in elevated land, which is earthy and concentrated in sugar content but lower in juice content, we have sugarcane growing on the coastal side of Léogâne are a bit grainer because they’re getting blasted by that beautiful sea breeze,” Jean said.
Other brands are similar in taste, but “nothing is like our product,” Jean said.
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Nativé 1804 prides itself on being entirely waste-free, using every part of the sugarcane, being environmentally sustainable, and helping the community that serves them.
“Our idea is to be able to create and stimulate the sugarcane industry,” Roseme said.
The remaining sugarcane plants are left to feed livestock and fertilize the ground in the area.
So far, it’s been a wild ride for the four friends/brothers, and they are excited for the future. The business is run entirely in Haiti without issues despite the country’s current political climate.
Haiti outside the capital is still exporting and producing products for the world, Roseme said.
The business provides jobs and resources to the community while expanding its heritage to the masses.
Where can you find Nativé 1804?
Nativé 1804 officially launched their rum brand at Blanchard’s at 102 Westgate Drive, Brockton, and hopes to expand into different locations in the area. Please visit their website to find more locations.
