Story behind Rhum J.M

A century later, in 1845, the estate was bought by Jean-Marie Martin who realised the opportunity to also produce rum at the estate and set about building the distillery. The rum was given Jean-Marie Martin's initials, 'J.M' and when shipped to Saint-Pierre, customers began to recognise and seek Rhum J.M due to its quality.

A few years later, in 1912, the distillery was bought by the Crassous de Médeuil family who combined Fonds-Préville with the neighbouring Bellevue estate to form a combined single estate of 400 hectares. Major improvements are made to the distillery at this time and the reputation of Rhum J.M. continued to grow.

In 2002, the Martinique-based family business G.B.H bought the distillery and a few years later, the group instigated a complete modernisation to make Fonds-Préville a model distillery, a distillery that sits in a picturesque location and works in harmony with its natural surroundings. To support its ambitions and innovations, the Fonds-Préville Distillery has initiated the EDDEN project, a commitment to the sustainable development of ecosystems and nature with crop rotation being part of a circular economy for production.