Tortuga International Holdings

Founded in 1984, Tortuga Rum Company has grown to become the largest duty-free liquor business in the Cayman Islands. Husband and wife team Robert and Carlene Hamaty, started the company while they were both employed by the islands national airline, Cayman Airways. Robert was a captain (previously for Air Jamaica) and Carlene was an in-flight supervisor. While piloting for Air Jamaica, Robert noticed passengers boarding his plane carrying Bermuda Rum. Realizing Bermuda did not have the resources to distill their own rum, he investigated, only to discover that it was actually made in Jamaica, and shipped to Bermuda to be bottled. That was when he decided the Cayman Islands should have their own rum too, and the idea of Tortuga Rum was culminated. They started the company with two blended rums, Tortuga Gold and Tortuga Light. Tortuga Rum is a combination of Jamaican Rum and Barbados Rum specially blended for the Cayman Islands; therefore it is like no other. The name, Tortuga, chosen by Robbie & Carlene, was derived from the original name given to the Cayman Islands, Las Tortugas meaning "The Turtles". The Hamatys, having no marketing or promotional experience at that time, overcame many obstacles and setbacks and pushed forward, seeing the opportunity to sell local products duty-free to visitors of the island, by both air and sea. Shortly thereafter, Robbie and Carlene started their own distributorship from a small warehouse on North Sound Rd. Not long after, a second waterfront "Tortuga Duty Free Liquors" store was opened. The first Tortuga Duty Free Liquor store was opened in 1987, while the Hamatys were still employed by Cayman Airways. It was a very small store located near the waterfront in Georgetown.