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Bamboo Bay Rum co-founder Matthew Barr\u00e9 (Images courtesy) <\/p>\n Bamboo Bay Rum co-founder Matthew Barr\u00e9 (Images courtesy) <\/p>\n
For Houston\u2013based entrepreneur Matthew Barr\u00e9, rum isn\u2019t just a product. It\u2019s a full-circle story rooted in geography, memory, and craft.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up right outside of New Orleans, but spent a lot of time traveling growing up,\u201d Barr\u00e9 says. \u201cBetween my grandfather\u2019s house in West St. John Parish, Louisiana\u2014which is primarily sugarcane and swamps\u2014and New Orleans being a hospitality town, I\u2019ve always had an awareness of the products that came out of sugarcane.\u201d<\/p>\n
That early proximity to sugarcane and the culture surrounding it didn\u2019t immediately translate into a business idea. \u201cI didn\u2019t imagine that one day I\u2019d make a rum brand out of this,\u201d he reveals. \u201cIt was later in life that that came about.\u201d<\/p>\n
The turning point came unexpectedly, through a career move far removed from distilling. While working in oil and gas, Barr\u00e9 accepted a three-year assignment in Trinidad, an experience that quietly laid the foundation for Bamboo Bay Rum.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went down to Trinidad not knowing anything about the culture and never having been to the Caribbean,\u201d he recalls. \u201cThen, one day sitting by the pool, my upstairs neighbor and I jokingly said, \u2018We should make rum.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
What began as a casual idea among friends evolved into something far more tangible. \u201cFast-forward to us both ending up back in Houston in 2017. Then, in 2020, we started working on the project.\u201d<\/p>\n
The name Bamboo Bay is a nod to those Trinidadian origins. \u201cBamboo Bay is actually the name of the apartment complex that we lived in in Trinidad,\u201d Barr\u00e9 explains. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t exist anywhere in the world on a map,\u201d but the image it evokes stuck\u2014a tropical escape made for sipping rum.<\/p>\n
Today, Barr\u00e9 runs the business largely on his own, balancing a full-time career in oil and gas with the realities of building a spirits brand from scratch. \u201cMonday through Thursday is oil and gas stuff. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is usually rum production,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
That schedule reflects not just ambition, but the necessity of bringing the brand to life. \u201cDo I give up my current career to become a rum producer, or do I keep making a paycheck?\u201d he candidly asked himself. \u201cThe paycheck won.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, what sets Bamboo Bay Rum apart isn\u2019t scale\u2014it\u2019s intention. From the beginning, Barr\u00e9 has prioritized transparency and craftsmanship in an industry often dominated by mass production and additives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to be transparent about what\u2019s in the bottle,\u201d he says. \u201cWe just wanted to be honest about the product we were making, and to make it with our hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
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That philosophy extends to sourcing. After navigating the complexities of the US sugar market, Barr\u00e9 partnered with a small Louisiana mill to secure molasses, the foundational ingredient in rum.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to use the stuff with the most flavor in it,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s all the leftovers, and it\u2019s how rum was originally made. That\u2019s what we wanted to stick with.\u201d<\/p>\n
The process itself is deeply hands-on. \u201cIt takes me about eight days to make a batch,\u201d Barr\u00e9 says, describing fermentation, distillation, and refinement stages that transform molasses into a finished spirit.<\/p>\n
Like many craft ventures launched during the pandemic, Bamboo Bay Rum was built through trial and error. \u201cWe made a lot of bad rum in order to find the way to make good rum,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
That persistence has paid off. \u201cSeeing it on bar shelves and people going, \u2018Oh, look, what\u2019s this brand?\u2019 And knowing people are coming back to buy it has been really rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a gay entrepreneur, Barr\u00e9\u2019s identity is part of his story, but not the defining lens through which he operates. Instead, his focus remains on building a sustainable business in a challenging and evolving market. \u201cBar profit margins are going down, so they\u2019re less interested in buying something that\u2019s more expensive,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n
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Even so, Barr\u00e9 is optimistic about what\u2019s next. With 27 barrels currently aging, he\u2019s preparing to introduce his own aged rum\u2014a natural expansion that marks a new phase for the brand.<\/p>\n
For now, Bamboo Bay Rum can be found at select Houston retailers, including Houston Wine Merchant and Longhorn Liquors. But for Barr\u00e9, the real goal isn\u2019t just distribution. It\u2019s connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to make a rum that was good for sipping,\u201d he says. \u201cIf I couldn\u2019t make a sipping rum, I didn\u2019t want to put it in a bottle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether enjoyed neat, in a classic daiquiri, or as part of a more elaborate cocktail, Bamboo Bay Rum is ultimately an invitation to slow down, taste carefully, and appreciate the craft behind the glass.<\/p>\n
From sugarcane fields to Caribbean coastlines to Houston distillation runs, every bottle carries the imprint of a journey that was never supposed to happen, but somehow makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n
Keep up with Bamboo Bay Rum on Instagram at @bamboobayrum<\/a>.<\/p>\n