The Bacardi Family
The Family
The Bacardí family built one of the world's great rum empires in Santiago de Cuba beginning in the 19th century, and the company and its founding family were deeply woven into Cuban civic life. The Cuban Revolution changed everything: the regime nationalized Bacardi's Cuban assets, but the family had prudently registered trademarks and moved operations abroad, and the company survived — and thrived — in exile, becoming one of the largest privately held spirits businesses in the world.
The family and company became part of exile Miami's business establishment, with a U.S. corporate presence in the Coral Gables area and the landmark mid-century Bacardi Building on Biscayne Boulevard as their architectural calling card. The Bacardís also funded anti-Castro causes and Cuban cultural preservation, embodying the exile community's blend of commercial success and political commitment.
Why They Matter
The Bacardis are the archetype of the Cuban exile business class: a family that lost its homeland assets but carried its expertise, brand, and capital into exile and rebuilt at global scale. Their survival proved that exile need not mean ruin — that a dispossessed elite could reconstitute itself in Miami and beyond — which is the founding confidence of Coral Gables' professional Cuban Miami.
They also gave the city one of its architectural landmarks and a lasting connection between Miami and the global spirits trade.
Where You See Them Today
The Bacardi Building on Biscayne Boulevard remains an architectural icon. The family's philanthropy and cultural funding are visible across Cuban Miami, and Bacardi remains a globally recognized name with deep South Florida roots.
Further Reading
- Tom Gjelten, Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba
- HistoryMiami Museum — Cuban exile business collections
Neighborhoods: Coral Gables · Miami Beach Eras: The First Cuban Exile Wave · The MiMo / Postwar Boom Movements: The Cuban Exile Wave Landmarks: The Bacardi Building