BACARDI Rum Releases Wooden Sunglasses Made From Recycled Oak Barrels

BACARDI Rum is tapping into the fashion market with the release of a limited edition sunglass range made from recycled oak rum barrels.

It’s the brand’s philosophy to never lose sight of its “Good Spirited” sustainability initiative.  At its rum facility just outside San Juan, Puerto Rico, some barrels are chipped up for mulch or reused for decorative purposes. Others, however, are transformed by hand, from start to finish, into artisan-crafted eyewear so customers can both drink and wear BACARDI.

“With sights set on seeing a net-zero impact, the Company’s eco-friendly, reclaimed-wood eyewear innovations metaphorically promote our eco-focus and allow clients to take a new, ‘greener’ view with wearable, sustainable art that actually protects their eyes,” says Maggie Matias, managing director for the Bacardi Visitor Center, who is based at the world’s largest premium rum distillery.

Certified craftsmen from RAW Eyewear manually perform the painstaking process of assembling, sanding and finishing the frames to produce the sleek, wooden-framed sunglasses. The exclusive and stylish line of sunglasses includes four on-trend designs and each pair features a carved BACARDI bat logo at the temple as well as Italian polarized lenses.

Praised for being eco-friendly, durable, hypoallergenic and unique, the sunglasses allow customers to see clearly as the polarized lenses eliminate blinding glare from shiny surfaces, improve contrast and visibility, and reduce squinting, eyestrain and ultraviolet rays. The sunglasses retail for US$195 each, are light and comfortable to wear and are only sold at the Casa BACARDI visitor center store in Catano, Puerto Rico.