Brand Manager Profile

JASON DYKE – BRAND MANAGER FOR THE HOUSE OF BACARDI

THE JASON DYKE MATCHMAKER

Orchestrating the path from ideation to launch for the House of Bacardi’s Flavors product line is a challenging position. The role requires someone with uncanny intuition, a sense of foresight and discovery, and total confidence to lead global trends. Chilled had the pleasure of speaking to someone with these abilities, Bacardi Flavors Brand Manager, Jason Dyke.

Jason is relaxed, even calm, considering his demanding position with the world’s largest and most dominant rum brand. He gave Chilled some quality time away from his hectic schedule to tell us about the current trends in flavored rum and how Bacardi has been blazing a trail in this category for over a decade.

The Flavors portfolio includes leading tastes such as Bacardi Limon, one of the first flavored rums to enter the market fifteen years ago, to Bacardi Rock Coconut, which was one of the first to jump on the coconut water bandwagon. “We strive to be innovators,” explains Jason. “We don’t just invent any new flavor; we do our homework and put a lot into research and development. We observe the market within the spirits industry by way of consumer trends and products popular with the bartenders. Then we venture outside to another area like the culinary field to mirror this process. For instance, our Torch Cherry flavor is mixed with aloe vera, which was being used as the latest and most sought after flavor in fruit juices. We saw the potential and tried something new. We love to put a new twist on combinations like aloe with a common flavor like cherry.”

So what’s new in the world of flavors and shall we wonder where Jason and his Bacardi-nauts will be leading us next? “The Mediterranean diet was leading nutritionally, however now its counterpart the Nordic diet is more of an emerging trend,” says Jason. Prevalent in both is the consumption of large amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts, unsaturated fats and meats. Research shows that the berries native to the Nordic region are rich in antioxidants and contain omega-3 fatty acids. Enter the newest flavor, Bacardi Arctic Grape, the first white grape infused rum that explores the mixable qualities of the Lingonberry, an “arctic berry”.

“With a taste like White Grape and Arctic Berry you can mix the rum with a soft drink like Sprite or a juice like cranberry and the rum compliments the recipe rather than losing its taste to the mixture,” explains Jason. “It’s worth mentioning that while our baseline is still the more traditional Bacardi Superior, our latest innovations continue to transcend the rum category. We strive to try something new and different and out of the box while at the same time offering familiar flavors with a contemporary twist. There are so many trendy flavors coming out every day, but that doesn’t influence our strategy. Our number one goal is to offer excellent premium flavors that go beyond the latest trends and blaze new trails, such as the introduction of Dragon Berry and now Arctic Grape.”

Jason attributes Bacardi Flavors’ rapid and significant success to a durable, matchmaking strategy. “We match the latest product to an appropriate demographic and market accordingly,” he explains. “For Bacardi Arctic Grape, we are focusing on the male consumer and through on premise promotion we are hoping to reach a million consumers by the end of the summer. By contrast our latest Bacardi Classic Cocktail launch, the Hand Shaken Daiquiri, is a ready to drink cocktail that matches well with females and our focus there is on home entertaining.”

Bacardi Flavors currently produces 11 rums that are some of the most interesting in the market and certainly are still setting the pace. “Again, for us experimenting with the “exotic” means putting a contemporary twist on an already popular flavor,” according to Jason. This marriage of the unfamiliar with the familiar is the consistency that defines the Bacardi brand. The strong foundation in the traditional allows for better matches with the innovative and contemporary. Plus, the fun and fresh combinations taste great too and keep us wondering what they’ll mix up next.

BACARDI® ARCTIC GRAPE™ AND SPRITE - “Arctic Refresh”

1 part BACARDI® ARCTIC GRAPE™ Flavored Rum

3 parts Sprite

Pour over ice in a tall glass and garnish with a lime wedge.