The most important mission in the world of aromas is to preserve the origins and traditions that make from tasting a sort of ritual, but we also seek to comply with the standards and guarantees, which allows our rums to carry the hallmark that distinguish them.

From the manufacturing stage to the final delivery, the whole operation runs like clockwork. To achieve these purposes and comply with the established regulations, the role of the workers and the care they must maintain in each of the operations within the production plan are vital.

The pandemic context has changed production routines in many institutions around the world. Despite these obstacles, the team of Cuba Ron S.A in charge of production quality has not stopped its work in the manufacturing dependencies of the corporation.

About this relevant topic, Melba Ibáñez, Chemical Engineer and Director of Quality at Cuba Ron S.A, offers specific details related to the standards of the company, as well as the present and future perspectives. 

Despite the additional challenges of the pandemic, how have the standards for achieving quality indexes been handled at the rum factories and general administration of Cuba Ron?

The challenges imposed by the pandemic have not stopped the rum factories' work to maintain their quality indices, since customer satisfaction has always been part of the central axis of commercial policies in the organization. In this sense, we maintain our quality standards and work hard to keep complying with the necessary requirements to implement quality management in the company in the best way possible. We have been taken into account priorities such as:

• Optimizing operations monitoring and management processes
• Ensuring the means and resources to improve products and services
• Increasing customer satisfaction and business opportunities
• Reducing risks in key processes and activities 
• Working on alternative productions.

It would be impossible to carry out all these tasks without the support of our human capital, their knowledge and the high level of commitment to the organization.

So far this year, what are the immediate actions taken for food safety management?

As immediate actions we can point out in order of importance the following:

• To comply with Decrees Law 8, 9, 16, and 18 on safety, standardization, metrology and quality, and accreditation that entered into force in our country recently.
• To develop a safety communication strategy.
• To publish newsletters and provide training in all entities of our System regarding food safety.

How have health protocols been handled within the Corporation's laboratories?

The same health protocols have been applied by our staff in other areas while maintaining the safety standards required by laboratories and guaranteeing work and protection materials.

With regard to the previous year, how much progress has been made in research, verification and value of the products?

The movement of Cuban Rum Masters has continued the work of developing new products so there has been a breakthrough in relation to the previous year in the Santa Cruz, Cárdenas, Central, San José and Santiago de Cuba rum factories, and there are some new innovation projects this year that are already in phase of development. So we can rate it as a progress.

Today, both the background and the upcoming projections that represent production in Cuban rum factories materialize. The specialist has made the guidelines clear: thanks to these reference indicators the rums manufactured are more competitive and suitable for distribution and marketing. Preserving the hallmarks that identify the heritage of a nation and reach the subtle pleasure of the lips of those who taste these authentic flavors is today the task in the foreground of Cuba Ron S.A.