La Hechichera

La Hechicera rum was founded in 2012 to encapsulate the spirit of Colombia and tell the nation’s story to the world. Its name translates as ‘The Enchantress’ in Spanish, and its bottle is adorned with images of local flora and fauna.

“We wanted to celebrate that magic, that enchantment of Colombia from a feminine perspective. We feel Colombia is above all a feminine entity – it’s the most fertile nation on earth per square kilometre,” says Riascos, who founded the brand with his sister, Laura, and friend Martamaria Carrillo.

But, he adds that “way before La Hechicera existed as a brand, it existed as a vision”. Riascos’s father, Miguel Riascos Sr, started the family’s journey into rum. A banana farmer based on the Colombian Caribbean coast, in the 1990s Riascos Sr set off to explore other business opportunities. After 17 consecutive trips to Cuba, he landed an agreement with Fidel Castro’s Sugar Ministry, which allowed him to work with some of the island’s leading rum makers and invest in a facility based in Barranquilla, the capital of Colombia’s Atlántico Department.