By the Caribbean Journal staff

Rum company Tortuga has united its operations across the Caribbean, consolidating affiliates in Cayman, Jamaica, Barbados and Florida.

The founders of Miami-based Tortuga Imports will lead the company, now called Tortuga International, with Marcus Simmonds as CEO and Monique Hamaty-Simmonds Chief Marketing Officer for Tortuga International.

The company also announced that Jamaican Producers had made a strategic investment in the company.

the board of Tortuga International Holdings will include representatives from its subsidiaries in Miami, Barbados and Jamaica Producers.

“We are very excited about this partnership and adding the Tortuga brand to our portfolio,” said Jeffrey Hall, managing director of Jamaica Producers. “Having Marcus and Monique as shareholders and managers gives this new business the solid foundation needed to make Tortuga global.”

Simmonds said he hoped the company unification and Jamaican Producers partnership would help the brand achieve its vision for becoming a $100 million global brand.

“This gives us economies of scale to have a much greater impact in developing the business,” he said.

The company was started in 1984 by Robert and Carlene Hamaty, who were at the time employees of Cayman Airways, introducing the first private-labeled rums for the Cayman Islands.

They eventually opened their first duty-free liquor store and introduced the now-famous Tortuga Rum Cake.

Robert’s daughter Monique Hamaty-Simmonds, and Marcus, her husband, founded Tortuga Imports in Miami.

The Miami subsidiary will continue doing business as the Tortuga Rum Cake Company.