Cachaça needs to prepare to take on the world

The cachaça industry needs to prepare to take on the world. In terms of products, it’s almost there. In terms of everything else: engagement, education, marketing, it’s not.

Last week I posted on Instagram about the need to create more content in English. Distilleries, purveyors, and other interested parties really need to begin to create English content about cachaça because there’s so little that is consistently created. Besides me, there are other “advocates” out there who presumably have some financial interest in seeing cachaça succeed. But there really aren’t any content creators besides the few brands themselves outside of Brazil. The Fat Rum Pirate does a fair amount of cachaça reviews, and notes when they are available in Europe. Although, since he’s in the UK, he might now get cut off from many of them. But besides him, I don’t know of another blogger or writer who regularly talks about cachaça.

Right now, I’m taking an education course with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. They’re a globally recognized educational organization. The spirits classes give a strong overview of the industry and how individual spirits are made.

There is a section on sugarcane spirits, in which cachaça is discussed. One paragraph. Literally one paragraph. Of course, the paragraph notes that Brazil is the largest producer of sugarcane spirits in the world. But because the industry is so opaque, whoever created the curriculum was unable to even begin to delve into how cachaça creation is different than rum creation in Caribbean, Central American, and even South American rum.

The longer the effort to build bridges, the tougher it will be to build the bridges. The distilled spirits industry is moving along at a robust pace. And yet, here in Brazil, it appears that there is no interest in engaging. There’s a lot of wishful thinking. But very little preparation. At least on the engagement, education and marketing side.

On the technical side, things are going swimmingly. Every day there are more competent distillers. There is real synergy between the industry and technical experts, which will only create better cachaça. And maybe that’s great for Brazil. Maybe the industry just wants to stay domestic. I can’t speak for them.

But it would be a pity for cachaça to stay hidden. And if I have my way, it won’t.