OUR HISTORY

In La Trinité, Homère Clément was born four years after the abolition of slavery. He is the son of a tailor and the grandson of freed slaves.

Facing significant financial difficulties, Françoise Maillet decided to close the sugar mill of Domaine de l’Acajou, and then went bankrupt in 1886. The Colonial Land Credit then took possession of the property to settle its debts.

After studying medicine in Paris, Homère Clément returned to his native island in 1885 and established himself as a physician in Le François. The following year, he became the town’s mayor and later served as a general councilor and deputy. A model of social success, he exemplifies the emergence of an Afro-descendant elite in the 19th century.

Homère Clément became the owner of the Domaine de l’Acajou, which he bought at auction. He moved into the main house with his family and became a sugar cane planter.

As the war caused an increase in the demand for alcohol, Homère Clément undertook the construction of a distillery on the land of the Domaine de l’Acajou, on the site of the former sugar refinery.

After the death of Homère Clément, his son Charles succeeded him and devoted himself to developing the distillery. A talented engineer and businessman, he modernized the production tool,a distillers’ union and promotes Martinique through its rums.

After marketing its rums under the name “Acajou” In the 1930s, Charles Clément gave his name to his already well-known rum. Brand strategy, use of emerging advertising, and expansion to international markets made Clément a major name in rum.

The first ageing cellar built in 1946 was completed over time by five others, bearing the names of members of the Clément family. Home to more than 12,000 aging barrels, Rhum Clément is now the leading producer of aged rum in Martinique.

After the death of Charles Clément, his sons worked to develop the company: Georges-Louis ran the distillery in Martinique, while in Bordeaux Jean-José marketed the rums in France and developed export markets.

After three generations of the Clément family, the family story continues with Yves and Bernard Hayot., who took over the company. They gave it the name L’Habitation Clément, in honor of the family that owned it for a century, and continued the international development of the brand.

The rich history and beauty of the estate make L’Habitation Clément a mecca for rum and Martinican heritage. In 1988, it opened its doors to the public and its rich heritage value, contributing ever more to the prestige of Martinique rum.

Hosting the Franco-American summit between François Mitterrand and George Bush on 14 March 1991, at the end of the Gulf War, L’Habitation Clément was in the global spotlight for a single day.

Created on the industrial wasteland of the former distillery, this new park houses a collection of plants from different tropical regions of the world, and in 2015 will receive the “Remarkable Garden“ label.

The recognition of the heritage value of L’Habitation Clément was manifested by the registration of the house as a historical monument, followed by a classification in 1996. The same year, Martinique’s agricultural rum became a Controlled Designation of Origin (CDO).

A centuries-old drink, rum was renewed with the creation of La Canne Bleue: a vintage monovarietal white rum that required months of testing and tasting. Since then, each year, a new vintage has been created, containing new aromas in a new presentation.

The creation of a corporate foundation institutionalizes and amplifies the ambition to enhance and promote the talents of the-sea in the field of contemporary art. Hosted at the the heart of the Habitation, it naturally takes its name.

Construction of a new bottling plant at L’Habitation to package all Clément rums.

Having become a must-see place for spiritourism, L’Habitation Clément welcomes more and more visitors, every day of the year. To give them the experience of rum, a workshop for the senses opens its doors in the shop refurbishedinto a product interpretation area.