On February 4, 1862, Don Facundo Bacard Mass purchased the first BACARD rum distillery on El Matadero Street, in the town of Santiago de Cuba, for 3,500 pesos. Here, he pioneered a new way of making rum that would change the way rum was made forever.

Don Facundo realized that early rums were crude and harsh and not fit for the cultivated palettes of Cubas emerging middle classes. He set out to create a locally produced spirit that was as sophisticated as the finest cognacs. He began with the highest quality ingredients including a unique strain of yeast which he found growing in the sugarcane fields outside Santiago de Cuba. This proprietary strain of yeast became known as La Levadura BACARD and continues to be used exclusively to provide BACARD rum with its unique flavor profile.