Honoring Tradition and Crafting the Future at Papa Rouyo Distillery: JORIS GALLI

Last Updated on November 3, 2025 by Maythe Monoche

Joris Galli is a curious, discreet person with a passion for creation. He is one of the co-founders of the Papa Rouyo distillery, a project that came to fruition in 2021 after years of collective reflection.

The name of the distillery pays homage to his great-grandfather, Charles Albert Ruscade, known as Papa Rouyo, a sugar cane farmer in Le Moule. As Director, Joris manages different aspects of the business, ensuring the connection between all the Papa Rouyo artisans, from the cane fields to the distillery. In addition, he maintains relationships with partners, collaborators, and key players in the sector. Distillery’s name pays homage to his great-grandfather, Charles Albert Ruscade, known as Papa Rouyo, a sugar cane farmer in Le Moule. As Director, Joris manages different aspects of the business, ensuring the connection between all the Papa Rouyo artisans, from the cane fields to the distillery. In addition, he maintains relationships with partners, collaborators.

For him, this project is more than a business; it represents a mission in which he seeks the best ways to express the distillery’s vision and commitment to tradition and innovation. Let’s find out more about the following interview:

TRL: What was your biggest challenge in launching your rum brand, and how did you overcome it?

It wasn’t easy to embark on this adventure from scratch. Most distilleries in Guadeloupe today have over 50 years of history. We had to train ourselves and gain all the knowledge required for this project before we could create the distillery. We produced a refined rum aimed at connoisseurs, positioning us as a niche product. This means we faced many challenges and still do to this day. It takes time, but we learn every day and continue to grow by implementing strategies to reach our audience both locally and internationally.

TRL: How do you see the rum market developing in the next 5–10 years, and what trends do you think will shape the future of the industry?

Rum is experiencing a very positive growth trend. Within the spirits category, it is the fastest-growing segment. Agricole rum is one of the major trends, driven by strong values—human and terroir-based. I believe these factors will shape the future of the industry.

TRL: Can you share a personal experience or moment that significantly influenced your brand’s direction?

Everything started with the story of my great-grandfather and his love for his sugarcane field. My family witnessed the challenges faced by sugarcane growers, and it was important for us to find solutions to these issues. This story, shared by many families in Le Moule, inspired a reflection among the local sugarcane growers, which eventually led to the creation of the Papa Rouyo distillery.

TRL: How do you balance tradition with innovation in your approach to rum-making or marketing?

The uniqueness of our rums lies partly in the pot still distillation using a Charentais-type still. Today, we are the only distillery in Guadeloupe to use this technique. We place great importance on the work done in the sugarcane fields; the know-how passed down from generation to generation by the growers is part of the tradition and allows us to achieve exemplary traceability of our sugarcane and the final product—rum.

TRL: What are some recent initiatives or products you’ve launched that have been impactful?

Each rum we produce tells a story—the story of the distillery and the artisans who produce it. For me, one of the standout products of 2024 is the limited edition “Maître-cannier”. It is a single-grower, single-varietal, single-plot rum, distilled without dilution. Such precise traceability is very rare in the rum industry. This rum represents the distillery’s mission, highlighting the sugarcane growers who are the key players in our production.

TRL: How do you educate consumers about your rum, and what’s the most important lesson they should take away?

Through various events, we share our knowledge and passion for agricole rum. We also take part in trade fairs that help us gain international recognition. The most important thing for us is to showcase the expertise of our “maîtres-canniers”, which is the very essence of our production. The concept of terroir is also key to understanding Papa Rouyo’s rums.

TRL: How do you manage quality and consistency as your brand grows and enters new markets?

We strive to maintain cohesion between production and the logistics of marketing our rums. As a micro-distillery, our priority is not to produce more, but to produce with the highest quality. We carefully select our distributors to align with this philosophy.

TRL: Can you share a collaboration or partnership that helped elevate your brand to additional levels?

We could collaborate both internationally and locally with well-known players who understand and respect our values. This is a fundamental condition for our partnerships. Notable examples include La Maison du Whisky and Velier on the international stage.

TRL: What is your long-term vision for your rum brand, and how do you see your role in the rum’s evolution industry?

Guadeloupean agricole rum, and French agricole rum has great development potential. We are proud to contribute, in our way, to this recognition. We hope to sustain the spirit of the Papa Rouyo distillery and the essence of our mission, regardless of the technical innovations we implement in the future, to expand our production.

TRL: What’s one piece of educational advice you would give rum lovers to better understand the spirit?

I believe that everyone’s approach to spirits is unique. The most important thing is to understand the complexity of the product and the hard work of the producers. In our case, we aim to shed light on the work of the sugarcane growers who have been overlooked for too long.

TRL: How can people learn more about you? Website? Social media page? We are present on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @paparouyorhum, on YouTube @distilleriepaparouyo, and on our website: www.paparouyo.com