During the 1950's in Belize, sugar was king and everyone with a plantation was rolling in money and making his own rum – or so it seemed. In 1953, Jaime Omario Perdomo Sr., a man from very humble beginnings, began a venture by opening a bar in Belize City which he called TRAVELLERS. TRAVELLERS initially sold imported liquors and beers as well as locally made rums. In those days it was the practice
of local bars to make their own rum blends for exclusive sale and Don Omario did not hesitate to follow that tradition. He started to create unique blends for his bar by combining various flavors and essences. As TRAVELLERS' rums grew in popularity, Don Omario searched for a way to provide consistency to his blends. During this time the recipe for the award winning ONE BARREL aged rum was developed. Growing competition in the rum manufacturing business made it more difficult to obtain spirits of consistently good quality. Eventually he entered into a partnership agreement with Luis Alberto Espat who agreed to build the distillery in Belmopan. During the 70's, Don Omario's sons, Romel and Mayito, came of age and joined him in the family business. Their enthusiasm and youthful energy translated into a tremendous growth spurt for the company. In 1983 Don Omario decided to register TRAVELLERS as a limited company naming his children as shareholders. Espat decided to relinquish his interests in the distillery in 1989, TRAVELLERS bought his share of the company, gaining for the first time full control over all aspects of production. Since then the distillery has been upgraded to enhance the quality of the spirits manufactured. The use of innovative techniques and new technologies assures the production of the finest rum available today. The aging and bottling plant infrastructure has also been upgraded to meet strict export standards. TRAVELLERS now exports to Europe, Canada and the United States. With creativity and foresight, Don Omario singled-handedly built the award winning TRAVELLERS LIQUORS LTD. into a true legacy for his own children and for Belize. Today the Perdomos ensure the tradition grows and the family legacy lives on.
