A local rum company is making a spirited effort to adapt to the business environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic: using their distillery to produce alcohol-based hand sanitizer. The company wants to provide the sought-after hygiene solution at an affordable price after many stores have increased the price of the product.
In normal times, the six-year-old company Samai Distillery produces rum for the local and international markets. Exports go to France, Spain, and Singapore.
But when the Coronavirus-pandemic hit the country and alcohol sales dropped abruptly in March, the company turned to hand sanitizer. Although they continue to also distill rum, their first 10-liter batch of hand sanitizer went on sale at the end of last month.
