 The family business began on March 18, 1862, producing rum directly from sugar cane juice.Dupré Barbancourt, a Frenchman from the cognac-producing region of Charente emigrated to Haiti, and founded his company at the end of 1862.After learning how to make rum in December of that year, he soon began selling it for HTG 1.50 (USD $0.30) per gallon.