The Context of Climate Change and Promoting Ginger Rum Liqueur
Since 2014, Coco Hill Forest, a 53-acre regenerative agroforestry project and non-governmental organization, reconnects people to the land as it helps rebuild Barbados biodiversity. By linking tourism with agriculture, Coco Hill Forest offers volunteering experiences and features 3.5 kilometers of hiking trails overlooking the east coast. Furthermore, in partnership with Foursquare Rum Distillery, Coco Hill Forest puts its name on an artisanal ginger rum liqueur.
After arriving in Bridgetown, the strategic communication team sat down with Mahmood Patel, founder of Coco Hill Forest. Patel shared his inspiration for the project and his vision for a more food secure and climate-resistant island nation. A week later, the team visited Coco Hill Forest to witness its bounty of native plants, fruit trees and herbs. Next, along with Patel, the team traveled south to meet Richard Seale, Master Distiller and Master Blender at Foursquare Rum Distillery. Giving a personalized tour of the distillery, Seale explained the process of rum-making at Foursquare and his partnership with Coco Hill Forest.
A Forest Amid the Change
Mahmood Patel describes Coco Hill Forest's mission and vision.
Coco Hill Forest confronts climate change through place-based action rooted in Barbados’s historical realities. Under Patel's guidance, the forest challenges dominant narratives by linking environmental degradation to centuries of colonial extraction, monoculture, deforestation and loss of food sovereignty. These practices of old continue to shape vulnerabilities in the present. Regenerative agroforestry, native seed restoration and sustainable land use at Coco Hill Forest directly respond to these inherited challenges. Each initiative at Coco Hill Forest seeks to reclaim space, knowledge and agency once stripped away.
Patel details bio-economy and value-added products as integral to the future of Coco Hill Forest.
Systems change begins with individuals -- like bubbles rising before water boils -- each person contributing to greater transformation. The metaphor of boiling water underscores this idea: sustained, small actions build momentum. To this end, Coco Hill Forest operates as both a restorative landscape and a call to action. It symbolizes resistance and renewal.
Patel discusses the importance of volunteering at Coco Hill Forest.
The strategic communication team not only wanted to capture the beauty of Coco Hill Forest but also communicate its deeper story. Social media content created in collaboration with Coco Hill Forest serves a dual purpose. First, content contextualizes climate change through a local lens, and second, it elevates Coco Hill Forest’s mission and vision to multinational audiences. By blending storytelling, on-site interviews and striking visuals, the team's social media content educates viewers about the systemic forces behind climate vulnerability and positions Coco Hill Forest as an active, regenerative alternative. Furthermore, the social media content invites youth, tourists and more to engage with Barbados’s wild lands, whether through volunteering, eco-tourism or enjoying products like the Coco Hill Forest Ginger Rum Liqueur by Foursquare Rum Distillery.
Ginger Rum Liqueur Collaboration
Made from rum blended and aged at Foursquare Rum Distillery and infused with ginger grown at Coco Hill Forest, the Coco Hill Forest Ginger Rum Liqueur -- a true sipping rum -- yields a smooth, warm finish. Apart from its unique flavor, the Coco Hill Forest Ginger Rum Liqueur stands as a value-added product.
Throughout its history, Barbados exported its raw materials at low costs only to import foreign products at high costs. In this sense, Barbados shed its natural resources without enriching its own economy and people. By making an artisanal, high-value rum with Barbados-sourced ingredients, Foursquare Rum Distillery and Coco Hill Forest challenge convention.
Patel and Richard Seale of Foursquare Rum Distillery share insight into their collaboration.
More than just promote the Coco Hill Forest Ginger Rum Liqueur to rum lovers around the globe, the strategic communication team hopes its social media content draws attention to Barbados’s history. Most importantly, the team hopes that by sharing details about the process of the value-added, artisanal product, it inspires others in Barbados to pursue more sustainable production.
Overall, the strategic communication team hopes to raise awareness about the ecological, historical and agricultural significance of Barbados along with efforts by non-governmental organizations like Coco Hill Forest to make a difference. The team hopes its social media content ignites a sense of environmental stewardship and climate justice in Barbadians and tourists alike. Visit Coco Hill Forest to experience all the wonders it has to offer.
Patel describes the experience of tasting Coco Hill Forest Ginger Rum Liqueur.
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