The success story continues. Based in Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons, south-west of Nantes, the company of 12 employees, Ced’ Rums, inaugurated its new production plant on Thursday, four times larger than the old one. Objective: to continue the remarkable rise of the brand, begun since its birth in 2011. What was initially a small craft business has become one of the heavyweights of the arranged rum market in mainland France. “We are leaders in the world of wine cellars and delicatessens”, asserts Arnaud Bonnet, the company’s marketing manager.
Created by Cédric Brément from Nantes, Les Rhums de Ced’ was acquired in 2018 by the Dugas group, which specializes in the distribution of spirits. Since then, the company has seen the success of its core brand, Ti arranged by Ced‘, explode: no less than 600,000 bottles were produced last year. And it’s not over: the investment for the new premises of 2,000 m2 has reached 3.5 million euros. The tasks remain manual but timed to the chain. Enough to help Les Rhums de Ced’ to develop and reach an ever wider clientele.
It must be said that arranged rum is on the rise. In a study commissioned by the Dugas group in 2021, 62% of French people declared themselves to be rum consumers, among whom nearly half (46%) had a preference for flavored rums. On the strength of this prosperous market, Les Rhums de Ced’have been able to diversify their distribution points: originally present only in wine merchants and delicatessens, they have now been on sale in large retailers since 2021.
With yuzu, mirabelle plum, caramel or… cachaça
“In 2013, we were the first to offer an arranged rum aged in barrels,” explains Arnaud Bonnet. This is one of their specialties: giving a second life to barrels previously used for other spirits (whisky, Saint-Émilion, etc.) to macerate an arranged rum and give it alcoholic notes. Among the thirty recipes in the range, there are all kinds of fruits: pineapple, yuzu, mirabelle plum, but also mixtures with salted butter caramel, macadamia nuts or cocoa.
This year, Les Rhums de Ced’ is launching Ti Chaça: the arranged cachaça, a Brazilian sugar cane eau-de-vie, with two new recipes. “A first in the world of spirits! No one had ever arranged cachaça before us,” boasts Arnaud Bonnet.
A local and artisanal anchorage
Whenever possible, the company uses local producers. “We work with the Vergers d’Herbauges next door, with the Fraiseraie de Pornic 20 km from our home, with the salted butter caramel from our region”, explains Guillaume Robert, the director. “Even the graphic designers who make the labels on the bottles are from the region,” adds a member of the director’s entourage. Throughout the year, nearly 30 different recipes of arranged rums are constantly produced. The Rhums de Ced’ also take special orders: the Puy du Fou, for example, has its rum arranged with pineapple straight out of… Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons.
In the future, the small company intends to expand its network of wine merchants, reach more cafes, hotels and restaurants, and expand the countries to which it exports its products. For the moment, Les Rhums de Ced’ have been exported to Canada, to certain European countries and to China recently. Arnaud Bonnet explains: “the challenge is to continue to export the culture of arranged rum outside of France, it is not easy for all cultures to put fruit in strong alcohol! »