STARR Rum, Founder & CEO: JEFFREY ZARNOW

STARR Rum is an award-winning, field-to-bottle, single estate rum made by hand from sugarcane grown, distilled, oak aged, blended, and bottled responsibly on site on the African Island Paradise of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, 1,000 miles East of Madagascar.

Nearly 100 years in operation, STARR Rum was created in 2005 under the New Economic Partners for African Development initiative of the African Union to bring these exceptionally smooth, approachable, easy-drinking rums for the first time into the United States and beyond as 100% Made in Africa—Fair Labor, Fair Trade Goods.  Furthermore, STARR’s operations in Mauritius utilize sustainable practices and are committed to preserving the pristine island environment at home and across the globe. Jeffrey Zarnow is the Founder and CEO of STARR Rum. Let’s learn more about him in this interview!

TRL: Who is Jeffrey Zarnow?  
I’m pretty random. I started my career in Entertainment. After a stint at Warner Bros. and Disney, I was working for a Production Company at Universal Pictures, which was owned at the time by Edgar Bronfman Jr, the heir of Seagram Spirits. That was my first glimpse into the spirit industry.  Later, I started a Production / Management Company O/Z Entertainment with a partner and had a 1st Look Development Deal with Sony Pictures.  

I then founded Zentertainment Marketing, which advised companies ranging from Citi to Coke to Global Citizen. Zentertainment and I personally most recently were instrumental in launching the Global Citizen Festival in NYC’s Central Park.  

I had never even dreamed about going into the spirits industry, but was immediately enamored with it. When I first tried STARR, my intrigue turned into an adventure. In some ways I’m still just getting STARRted on!!!

TRL: What does the rum mean to you? What made you fall in love with rum and when did it happen?
When I first tried STARR, it was love at first sip! I realized that to drink it, I had to create a brand to export it and share it with others. Like most people (especially Americans), I had only tried a few of the mainstream rum brands. Now I’ve tried over 200 different rums and learned to love the category I knew nothing about. It’s so dynamic and versatile. There is a type of rum for everyone.  

TRL: Three essential characteristics that define the rum according to your perspective.
I think Paul Pacult said it best in our very first review he wrote for Wine Enthusiast: “Chic, Racy & Delicious.” Superb / Highly Recommended (90-95).

“Chic” personifies our brand. Our unique, eye-catching red bottle is inspired by the peaked, volcanic mountain overlooking our sugar estate and a shape used during prohibition to smuggle liquor in from Europe as perfume. The rum itself elevates both classic and exciting, innovative cocktails but is sophisticated enough to drink by itself with ice.

“Racy” is the spirit of our company. From believing we can create the World’s first Ultra-Superior Light Rum while helping further foster African Economic Development. The dry style of our rum is not like the more common sweet Caribbean rums. Plus STARR has a subtle yet complex flavor profile that is a chameleon. Different flavors of the rum like the cherry and vanilla become highlighted depending upon what you mix with it. STARR and Coke taste like cherry Coke!  People often criticize me for even recommending serving such a fine rum with Coke, but hey, we are racy. If you want to drink rum and Coke, it will be the best Rum and Coke you have ever tasted! I love it!

“Delicious” Ultimately, this is all that matters. Whether it is enjoyed by itself with just ice or in a complex concoction, some brilliant mixologists created, STARR drinks are delicious! Even people who say they don’t like rum appreciate STARR after tasting it. I’ve always joked that STARR is a “gateway rum” that brings drinkers into the category.  

TRL: What is the most important contribution you have made to the rum industry?
I think that is TBD. I was honored that Noah Rothbaum credited me in his incredible book, The Business of Spirits, for being one of the people pioneering the super-premium light rum category that has never existed before by creating one of the first ones to hit the market. When I launched, everyone told me it would never work. No one would pay premium prices for light rum. Diageo launched Oronoco and Moet-Hennessy launched 10 Cane. While we may be small, unlike those brands, we are still around and continue to grow. That’s ultimately because STARR is delicious and most of the people who have tried it love it.    

Additionally, from the onset of founding STARR, I wanted our company to be both socially and environmentally responsible. We are helping lead the charge in the rum industry to do so. We are just continuing to do what the distillery has done since it opened in 1926. Whenever I hear about a new rum company or one of the oldest ones adopting new initiatives that share our values, I do not take the credit for it but merely celebrate that they are doing so. It is good for the category, but more importantly, the right thing to do. We constantly try to identify ways we can be a better company without ever compromising the taste and quality of the rum itself.  

TRL: Benefits that the rum industry has given you.
Being more open-minded. As I said before, if you told me 20 years ago that I would start a rum company, I would have said that would never happen. I hate rum. In some ways, I created the brand for myself. While I was initially our #1 customer. I’m glad that has now changed and we have numerous avid fans. I also really feel a part of the rum community along with other producers. There are so many styles and types of rum made all over the World. I wish I had discovered rum and its diversity before I entered the industry. For much of my life, I did not know what I was missing. Collectively, I think it is fair to say that all rum companies want to make rum overall get the respect it deserves for being such a rich and varied spirit more so than any other one. There’s a reason historically it has been and still is today one of the top-selling spirits in the World.  

TRL: What’s another thing you are passionate about besides rum? Why?
I am extremely passionate about all things in Africa. As I always say, Africa is one of those places that breaks your heart and inspires you at the same time. While it is unrivaled when it comes to natural beauty and its abundance of natural resources, for me, what makes Africa special is the people. Very few people know that Africa is the most ethnically diverse place on the planet. It gives me immense pride to in my small way to help Africa and its people realize its potential. Beyond working with fair labor partners there, I sit on various Boards of NGO’s that in one way or another benefit Africa. Plus, we dedicate 95% of our promotional cases to numerous non-profit events to support their efforts that service both Africa and the communities where STARR is sold.  

Since I got my start in entertainment and my other company, Zentertainment is still very active, the entertainment industry is my other passion. I love producing films, series, music festivals, etc.  I now view entertainment more than my side hustle instead of looking at it as my primary business to support myself. I love telling stories and creating experiences for people. Now I look at entertainment, like STARR, as a vehicle to give people a way to take a break from their everyday lives and the headaches that come with it to relax and enjoy themselves. Take their mind off of everything. Whether that is watching a powerful film that moves you falling down the rabbit hole binge-watching a series or just checking out some amazing bands and enjoying a nice day at a festival, my hobby is to make other people have fun. Ideally, drinking STARR rum while they do so.

TRL: What is your favorite place for drinking rum?
Anywhere they serve STARR. Seriously, while I think rum is best enjoyed outside—whether at a street café in NYC or a restaurant on a beach overlooking the water or a rooftop pool downtown in a major city, I also love sipping rum in a dimly lit cocktail bar or cozying up to a fire on a cold, winter night thinking about being in the warm sun somewhere.    

TRL: Favorite drink + Recipe
STARR mojito. STARR makes the best mojitos! While I’m biased, I invite you to try one and judge for yourself. When the mojito’s popularity was resurrected shortly after we launched around 2005 and 2006, people said it was a fad and would not last. For me, the mojito, like a margarita, has been elevated from a cheap sugary drink to a work of perfection when made with an exceptional rum like STARR by a skilled bartender.  

STARR is so smooth that even a novice at-home wanna-be mixologist can make a STARR mojito taste delicious. You don’t have to cover up the taste of the rum, but STARR’s subtle yet complex flavor profile makes it the ideal rum for a mojito. Again, tasting is believing; not my words. The main problem with mojitos is that many people who order them to do not even know they are made with rum.  

STARR “Muddle-less” Mojito
Shaken not muddled ™

2 oz STARR Ultra-Superior Light Rum
1 oz fresh lime juice
8-10 mint leaves
¾ oz simple syrup (or 2 teaspoons of sugar)
Top Soda Water

Clap the mint in the palm of your hand, tear the mint in half, and toss it in a shaker or glass. Add STARR rum, lime, simple syrup & ice.  Shake or stir vigorously. Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wedge.

TRL: Why is it important to educate the rum consumer?
Again, since it is often the first spirit people drink, they do not realize how rich and varied rum is. As I have been known to tell people, this is not the rum you drank in your youth. From bartenders to brands, the more we can work together as rum fans, we can convert people to see the light as we have done. The more they learn, the more they understand what makes rum unique and special.    

TRL: Any tips to train the palate and taste a good premium rum?
I am by no means a connoisseur. My advice would be to not be intimidated. Just take sips and let it linger for a beat to savor the taste instead of shooting it down. I don’t believe in shots unless, of course, you are sipping on one. Try it neat, then on the rocks. When the alcohol chills, it will change the flavor profile and you will taste it. Your taste buds are the judge of what you like. You will either like it or you won’t. If you think something tastes good, you don’t have to be able to break down the components that make it good. You can figure it out as you enjoy drinking it.  

I have immense respect for those with a trained palate and mine has become more refined over the years. If you want to train your palate, like anything, it is a skill that takes a lot of study and training to develop.  

TRL: How can the rum contribute to improving the crisis in some countries?
The climate crisis that faces every country is something of an industry. We are in an especially unique vantage point to help through our direct efforts and by leading by example. I would venture to guess that over 90% of the rum in the world is made from molasses. If you think about it, molasses is the byproduct of refined sugar. Instead of discarding it as waste, molasses has been used for centuries to make delicious rums for people to enjoy. That’s the very definition of sustainable development. When they built STARR’s distillery in 1926, there was no power on that corner of the island. They generated their own through the extraction process, making it by definition sustainable. During Covid when the distillery was closed, our partners built a solar farm on the parts of the estate that were not fit for agriculture. Now, instead of simply making our power, the estate is giving back to the grid of Mauritius. For islands like Mauritius and many of the rum-producing places, the sea level rising is an immediate and not existential threat.

On a social level, I’m proud that we were one of the first American companies to participate in the African Union’s New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) initiative that aims to develop African economies and fair trade jobs by creating products designed for export to be sold around the World.

TRL: Is the commitment to sustainable development the key to success for the permanence of the rum industry in the world? Why?
I think it is true for not only rum but all industries.  

TRL: Who would like to meet in the rum industry? What would you say to him/her?
Joy Spence the Master Distiller, for Appleton Rum. I feel like a lot of people say this to her. Like any cliché, it’s a cliché for a reason. While I have not had the pleasure of meeting her yet, I hope our paths cross soon. Beyond just being a remarkable person from what I’ve read and been told, she is one of the best at what she does. Given the inherent connection between Jamaica and Africa, I would love to see what she thinks of STARR. The Mauritian-style rum differs greatly from its Jamaican counterpart. They are both divine in their ways. Often Jamaicans love STARR when they try it. That used to surprise me, but now I realize they just appreciate good rum. I take that as a high compliment as does the wonderful team in Mauritius that makes the rum.  

TRL: What are your next goals in the rum industry?
Simple. Make rum “cool” and receive the respect it deserves, as is the case for bourbon, tequila, and other spirits.  

TRL: Plans you have when you leave the rum industry.
Sitting on a beach sipping STARR.

TRL: Why is the role of the bartender important in the rum industry?
The role of the bartender is critical because they are the ultimate ambassadors for rum. When they recommend a rum or a cocktail made with rum to someone who is maybe skeptical and thinks they don’t like rum, they introduce them to rum and something new and exciting they never knew they liked. We, as rum makers and marketers, can push as much as we want. But, when someone is bellied up to the bar and tries it based upon the bartender’s recommendation, that brings someone new into the fold who hopefully will then begin to discover other rums as well.    

TRL: What is your advice for new generations in the rum industry?
Taste is king. People get too caught up in everything about how it is made and what makes it different. Focus on making sure it tastes good.  

TRL: How can people learn more about you? Website? Social media page?
www.StarrRum.com 
https://www.instagram.com/starrrum/ 
https://www.instagram.com/jznyla/