Meet the Trinidad-born entrepreneur shaking up a UK rum renaissance
Jennifer Sieg meets Marc Farrell, founder and chief executive of US-based Ten to One Rum, to discuss why he sees the UK as his next step towards global growth
Marc Farrell has always cherished the phrase “one from 10 leaves zero,” words spoken by Dr Eric Williams, Trinidad and Tobago’s first Prime Minister.
While rallying to preserve the first Caribbean federation of 10 countries, Dr Williams said the nations are “stronger together than we are apart,” a shared vision that has carried Farrell, 41, through to his business ventures today.
Farrell, who left Trinidad at the age of 16 to study chemical engineering at MIT and then went on to become the youngest vice president at Starbucks, founded US-headquartered spirits brand Ten to One Rum in 2019.
The name represents the mission Ten to One has embodied from the start: to challenge expectations and re-imagine the way consumers taste and talk about rum – together.
The rum has launched into the world of premium spirits with high-acclaim. But for Farrell and Ten to One consumers, rum is so much more than what’s often found in a sugar-filled frozen daiquiri on the beach. It’s about culture, taste and purity – without all the additives.
“If you think about the world that Ten to One Rum is creating… it’s bold, it’s provocative, it’s creative,” Farrell tells me from the early morning hours of New York City.
“It is very culture forward [and] it’s certainly very welcoming and vibrant – those are core elements of the Caribbean and Caribbean culture.”
Now, just a few short years later, the team has officially launched its products in the UK – a market Farrell says he’s been eyeing up from the beginning.
Next stop? Britain, of course
At the core of Farrell’s mission with Ten to One is to connect directly with the consumer, leading “with authenticity, passion and purpose”.
So far, that strategy has proved successful in the US, having first set up the brand’s foundations in the hustle and bustle of New York.
There’s a magnetism and an energy to New York that is unlike any other, certainly in the US.
“There’s a magnetism and an energy to New York that is unlike any other, certainly in the US,” he says.
“I thought to myself that if I want to go create a business, I want to be around other hungry, dynamic, entrepreneurial-minded folks who are, in one way or another, trying to write their own future.”
It’s a strategy that Farrell believes will also prove true here in the UK.
“I want to know who’s behind the product I’m creating. I want to know their ‘why’ [and] I want to know the community of people that are also engaged in identifying with this,” Farrell says.
“That’s where I think Ten to One has had a very sizable impact in the US today, and has an opportunity to do the same thing in the UK going forward.”
Following the trends
Indeed, the UK’s shift towards premiumisation bodes well for a brand with an ethos rooted in consumer, identity and lifestyle.
According to a 2023 survey by CGA Brandtracker, a vast majority of consumers prefer to spend their money on one ‘better quality’ drink instead of a handful of those that might be ‘value’ priced.
Another study by research firm Mintel also revealed nearly 49 per cent of adults purchased premium alcoholic drinks in the 12 months to October 2023, despite 42 per cent of those also saying finances have been tight.
As a Ten to One consumer in particular, Farrell says “you’re somebody who has this natural curiosity to you… [someone] not satisfied with drinking the same vodka soda every weekend.”
“If you look at the premiumisation trend in tequila in the US [for example] it’s been massive for over a decade at this point, American whiskey, same thing. Rum is very much due for that Renaissance.”
Branding with authenticity
A critical component of any good consumer brand is, of course, the product and its placement.
Ten to One’s two core products – white and dark rum – promote the virtue of simplicity by being designed to be consumed either on the rocks, or with soda or coconut water.
“We’re doing these pan-Caribbean blends from multiple different countries: Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and now even Guyana,” Farrell adds.
“Those different distillation methods, provenance, terroir, [are] all coming together to create a very nuanced and unique and exceptional liquid.”
Those different distillation methods, provenance, terroir, [are] all coming together to create a very nuanced and unique and exceptional liquid.
Farrell says his rum, which is noted for its herbaceous and fruity notes, stands out to consumers who want to explore new and unique flavours. This, Farrell adds, is why you can find Ten to One offerings in many “top Michelin star restaurants [and] craft cocktail spots.”
“We’ve always tried to be super intentional with that [product placement] strategy, and I think it’s worked for us really well in the US. I don’t think the UK will be an exception,” Farrell adds.
Aside from the obvious challenges that might come with entering a new market, Farrell is confident his dream to share rum culture with the world will be realised.
“In the case of Ten to One, the entire business and brand is grounded in authenticity… it’s grounded in trying to give you a look into our world, not my world, our world,” Farrell says.
He adds: “The dream of Ten to One is to put it in more households, more glasses [and have] more people discovering and sharing and claiming it as their own.
“I want you to go out and tell people this is your rum.”
CV
Name: Marc-Kwesi Farrell
Company: Ten To One Rum
Founded: 2019
Staff: 18
Title: Founder & CEO
Age: 41
Born: Port of Spain, Trinidad
Lives: New York, NY
Studied: Chemical Engineering (MIT), Technology Policy (Cambridge University), MBA (Harvard University)
Talents: Public Speaking; Connecting across cultures; Headstands
Motto: Stand on the shoulders of those who’ve come before you
Most known for: Sharing delicious rum + authentic Caribbean culture with the world
First ambition: Nuclear Physicist
Favourite book: The Black Swan (Nassim Taleb) and Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle)
Best piece of advice: Lead with authenticity, passion and purpose