At the heart of a sugar plantation established in the late 18th century, nestled between the mountains of North Basse-Terre, the Grande Rivière à Goyave, and the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin, the first agricultural activities took shape, later giving birth to one of the great distilleries of the Antilles. This is where the history of the future Distillerie Bonne-Mère is rooted.
In 1863, a major turning point occurred: a true sugar and rum production unit was inaugurated. Between sugarcane, boilers, and first vintages, the establishment's calling for spirits began to assert itself.
A century later, the year 1973 marked a profound reorganization: the distillery made the strategic choice to dedicate itself exclusively to the production of traditional rums and alcohols. This refocusing opened a new era, dedicated to excellence and expertise.
Integrated into the La Martiniquaise Group in 1998, the distillery took on a new dimension. Having become one of the most important producers of traditional rum in the Antilles, it now houses a remarkable aging cellar: nearly 10,000 oak barrels, making this place one of the largest aging cellars in the overseas territories. An ambitious modernization program was launched, balancing energy efficiency, reduction of environmental impact, and preservation of ancestral methods.
The year 2024 marks a historic moment: Distillerie Bonne-Mère, long dedicated to bulk distribution, officially becomes a registered and proudly asserted brand, DBM. It highlights not only its rums but also a rich industrial heritage forged over centuries. Under the expert eye of its cellar master, the distillery now selects its finest barrels to offer a range of exceptional rums. With the launch of its own vintages, the fruit of decades of passion and expertise, DBM asserts its presence on the international stage while celebrating its heritage, its land, and its traditions.
Integrated into the La Martiniquaise Group in 1998, the distillery took on a new dimension.
Having become one of the most important producers of traditional rum in the Antilles, it now houses a remarkable aging cellar: nearly 10,000 oak barrels, making this place one of the largest aging cellars in the overseas territories.
An ambitious modernization program was launched, balancing energy efficiency, reduction of environmental impact, and preservation of ancestral methods.
The year 2024 marks a historic moment: Distillerie Bonne-Mère, long dedicated to bulk distribution, officially becomes a registered and proudly asserted brand, DBM.
It highlights not only its rums but also a rich industrial heritage forged over centuries.
Under the expert eye of its cellar master, the distillery now selects its finest barrels to offer a range of exceptional rums. With the launch of its own vintages, the fruit of decades of passion and expertise, DBM asserts its presence on the international stage while celebrating its heritage, its land, and its traditions.
Distillerie Bonne-Mère originated from a sugar plantation whose roots date back to the late 18th century. In 1863, a sugar and rum production unit was inaugurated.
Integrated into the La Martiniquaise Group since 1998, our distillery is today one of the most important traditional rum distilleries in the Antilles. We possess an aging cellar of nearly 10,000 oak barrels, making it one of the largest aging cellars in the overseas territories.
We are committed to an ambitious modernization program focused on energy efficiency and reducing our environmental impact, while preserving the integrity of our ancestral production methods.
It is in a natural setting, between the mountains of North Basse Terre, the Grande Rivière à Goyave, and the Grand Cul de Sac Marin, at the foot of the tropical forest, that we meticulously craft our finest traditional rums over many years.
The wetland area where our distillery is located, close to the tropical forest, is conducive to the maturation and aging of our rums, as well as to the nocturnal encounters of beetles, including the world’s largest, the Hercules beetle or ‘longhorn beetle,’ which can reach 17 cm in length and have a wingspan of 20 cm in flight!
Completely harmless, it is a protected species endemic to the Lesser Antilles. The emblem of our distillery, it can sometimes be spotted at Bonne Mère during its nocturnal flights… This emblem symbolizes the distillery’s commitment to rooting itself sustainably in the local economy and contributing to the influence of Guadeloupe. True to its commitment to quality and authenticity, Bonne-Mère continues to promote environmentally friendly practices, while consolidating its role as a leader in the Guadeloupean spirits sector.
Distillerie Bonne-Mère aims to prove that it is possible to combine tradition and innovation while preserving nature. All teams are committed to transmitting a lasting legacy to future generations, making Distillerie Bonne-Mère a key player in the ecological transition in Guadeloupe!
It all begins in Guadeloupe and with a passion for sugarcane… Sugarcane is the world’s most cultivated plant. It is prized for its stalks, from which sugar is extracted. Perennial, it regrows naturally after each harvest.
During its flowering, it adorns itself with a sumptuous plume of silvery silk. Originating from tropical regions, sugarcane requires both water and heat to produce its sugar.
As a tropical territory, Guadeloupe possesses ideal conditions for sugarcane cultivation.
Thanks to the varieties selected in our Guadeloupean terroir, it is rich in sweet juice and aromas, thus favoring the production of exceptional rum.
Carefully aged for many years in oak barrels, the artisanal creations
embody the heritage of centuries-old expertise, protected today
by a Geographical Indication (GI).
It aims to guarantee the geographical origin and quality of Guadeloupean rum
production.
Several factors contribute to the excellence of DBM Rums…
Alcoholic fermentation is a natural process resulting in the transformation of sugar into alcohol through cultivated yeasts, as well as wild yeasts present in the natural environment.
It is during the fermentation process that all the aromatic compounds of rum are created; distillation then merely separates them. This is why, at DBM, we carefully select our yeasts, water, and raw materials to master this crucial step before distillation and thus obtain a high-quality rum.
Our local distillation method produces spirits with a rich aromatic profile, characterized by a high concentration of volatile substances that contribute to complexity, persistence on the palate, and good aging potential. The distillery possesses expertise that has allowed it to design its own distillation columns, thus imparting a unique character to its rums found nowhere else.
