Curaçao Export Series:
Taking Export from Hobby to Passion
When consumers think about Alcolado Glacial, they think about a bottle with a cute penguin on it, the one that contains that green splash lotion that can cool you off on a hot day and makes you feel like the air-conditioner is set on high. TEXT BY FARAH DIBAH AYOUBI
Its image resonates with an entirely different segment of the brain compared to the image of Senior Genuine Blue Curaçao’s round bottle containing that blue exotic liqueur used in many delicious cocktails. But, to Sebastian Opschoor, both Alcolado Glacial and Curaçao Liqueur appear to be etched in
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CURAÇAO BUSINESS
the same parts of his brain. Opschoor is the Marketing Manager of both brands, and both are currently being exported. His office is in the historic Landhuis Chobolobo, headquarters to the both companies that produce these local brands, and home to a cozy cafe, and a well-stocked gift shop. The store is very popu-
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lar with tourists, who love to take the exotic liqueur bottles and gift packages home with them as souvenirs. Adjacent to the Landhuis Chobolobo is the Curaçao liqueur distillery and Glacial production facility, which, through the years, has become a popular tourist attraction of its own.
Export Inklings
The Senior family first started producing Curaçao Liqueur in 1896. Just a little over 50 years later, in 1948, the family shareholders of the company established Curaçao Laboratories and added Alcolado Glacial to their product collection. In Curaçao, Alcolado Glacial, or simply Glacial, as it is commonly referred to, has long since become a household staple. Approximately 70% of the population uses the product. Most of the locals have memories of a mother or aunt regularly using Glacial to cool off in the tropical heat, to alleviate nasal congestion, headaches, and even belly aches, and the local market is still growing. In the 1960’s, Curaçao Laboratories
