Manutea: interview with Etienne Houot

The small distillery of Moorea amazed us from the moment its first white rums arrived. Presented at the Dugas Club Expert show in 2017, they were our favorites of the show. Today, Manutea already has unanimous recognition. It has also been crowned with numerous awards. It continues to grow serenely while always restoring its unique terroir with the same care. To talk about the future of Manutea and the nice surprises that await us very soon, we spoke with Étienne Houot, sales and logistics director. He begins by describing the meaning of Manutea:

"MANU means bird in Polynesian, but it is also all living beings (humans, animals, plants). TEA means white, clear, luminous. MANUTEA is the "white bird" that we find on our logo, but also as a nod on our rum labels in the day version (light backgrounds). These birds seen by sailors announced the proximity of the islands, of the land and therefore the hope of being able to start a new life after long months spent on their double canoe.

A Tahitian legend tells that “the god of the seas and the god of the winds created it from a wave and a trade wind to protect the oceans and all those who venture there”. Thus, Manutea protects all sailors and travelers.

Polynesian navigators braved the Pacific Ocean, transporting sugar cane from the New Guinea archipelago to Tahiti, protected by "MANUTEA".

The story of Manutea

Manutea started with Rotui fruit juices, made in the Moorea factory. From this factory was born a distillery that produces liqueurs, fruit brandies, and pineapple wines. It even distils a molasses rum that has been blended into pineapple or vanilla rum since the 1990s.

Manutea is attached to the products of its Polynesian terroir. It therefore naturally became interested in pure sugar cane juice, which it has been distilling since 2015. Manutea rum comes from an endemic species called O'Tahiti, to which it is fundamentally linked.

The O'Tahiti cane is a noble, non-hybrid cane, very close to the original cane. It is estimated that it was planted on the archipelago around the year 500. It was later "discovered" by Westerners through Bougainville. He then spread it across the planet. Robust and profitable, it quickly conquered the world, until it became the main variety cultivated in the middle of the 19th century. The constraints and requirements of the sugar industry then preferred hybrid varieties. Although less aromatic, they produce a more concentrated and regular sugar.

Manutea is now fortunate to be able to work with this rich heritage, the cultivation of which has once again developed in Polynesia. It therefore produces a rum from pure O'Tahiti cane juice, grown on the island of Tahaa (newly on Moorea). Its juice is pressed and fermented on site, then taken on a schooner to the Moorea distillery.

Is there a rum culture among the Polynesian population?

No, we cannot talk about rum culture as we know it in the Antilles or in Reunion. This difference is explained by the fact that rum production in Polynesia was almost zero during the second half of the 20th century, whereas it had been strong between 1842 and 1945 with a peak in 1932 when 33,000 liters of rum had been exported to mainland France. It was not until 1992 that the cane was re-exploited and Polynesian rum was produced. Then there was an acceleration in the production of pure cane juice rum from 2015.

How did you “find” the O’Tahiti cane?

The O'Tahiti cane was found in private gardens or sporadically and in the wild in certain plantations (notably pineapple plots in Moorea). These canes were not cultivated, there was no valorization of this production. It was only from 2010 on the island of Tahaa that people began to take an interest in it and to plant it with a view to making agricultural rum.

At the end of 2018, we started planting on the island of Moorea in organic certification. We have a nursery installed right next to the distillery. We have multiplied the crops of noble canes there.

I believe that a GI project (which would notably ban hybrid varieties) was in progress, is it still relevant?

Yes, we should submit the file next month for recognition at the local level. Then the INAO will instruct at the national level. The end of this process will be to add our GI in the annex of the European regulation of spirituous drinks in order to be able to keep the same " agricultural " name on our labels in Polynesia and in Europe. Beyond this regulatory point, the specifications will allow professionals and enlightened amateurs to better understand the history of rum in Polynesia and to understand the way in which we promote this cane-rum sector with a particular know-how that sets us apart from our colleagues. This is an important point for us and we cultivate this difference. Finally, it seems obvious to us to promote virtuous agriculture through our union. It is also about raising awareness among all stakeholders (private / public) in order to set up a sector of the future.

To return to your question, we are going to prohibit the introduction of varieties of cane not present in Polynesia. Some modern varieties have been introduced for a long time. We have identified 4 of them and these are recognized by our specifications.

Are there several varieties within the O'Tahiti species?

Our specifications for the geographical indication (GI) Rhum Agricole de Polynésie française describe this point precisely. Only noble canes can claim the designation Tahiti canes or O'Tahiti canes. We (the union which brings together planters and distillers) have identified 7 varieties.

This is an important point of our IG. These noble canes are very close to the original cane of Papua New Guinea and we are lucky to be able to highlight them through rum. Of course, the yields are not the same as those of modern or hybrid canes. But this allows us to anchor our rums in the Polynesian terroir and to tell the story of the cane and its dissemination throughout the Pacific by double canoes and the first Polynesian navigators / discoverers.

O'TAHITI, literally means, it is from Tahiti, it is Tahiti, it is in Tahiti. We owe this name to Bougainville who wrote in 1768 the act of taking possession of New Cythera (Tahiti).

How can we describe the terroir of Tahaa?

Tahaa has geological characteristics of ferralitic soils, specific to islands resulting from the emergence of underwater volcanoes. We are in a humid tropical climate. We have precipitation during the hot season (season of abundance) and moderate water stress during the cool season when the sun is more generous.

These characteristics are also found on Moorea where we farm several hectares using organic farming. Our first 100% Moorea organic white rum will be released at the end of the year.

Can you tell me about fermentation?

We introduce exogenous yeasts that will allow the fermentation to start. The indigenous yeasts then take over. Our fermentations last 5 to 6 days on average and our cane wines have an alcohol content of 7 to 9°.

From a distillation point of view, can you introduce us to the still?

We acquired a new Holstein still in 2020. It allows us to increase our production capacity with batches of 6,000 L instead of 2,500 previously. It is a mixed still. The boiler is topped with a swan-neck capital, then we pass through a 4-plate rectification column. We have the option of not doing this, which offers the possibility of developing new projects. After passing through the condenser, a cane brandy of around 80% flows. ( This is therefore a batch distillation in a single pass, editor's note ). We brew, aerate and reduce over a minimum period of 3 months before bottling or putting into barrels.

Aging is relatively recent, how did you acquire the techniques and culture relating to these practices?

Field experience, discussions with our barrel suppliers, meetings with our colleagues (at the Rhum Fest and the Dugas Expert Club) and a lot of reading have allowed us to start the ageing adventure. Many tests have been carried out since 2015. Working under ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 standards is an asset for our teams in terms of traceability and continuous improvement as well as for the formalisation of everything that has been undertaken.

We still have a lot to learn and we work with humility and patience to preserve the quality of our rums during these years of rest in barrels.

The history of MANUTEA rums will remember these years 2015 – 2020 where a small team from Moorea gave their best to create, analyze, learn and highlight this wonderful Polynesian terroir and its culture based on exchange, sharing, kindness and the joy of living.

It is the passion for a job well done that has allowed this tiny company to progress and dare to embark on noble professions such as pineapple wine producer and now rum distiller.

We are still in our early stages, but the 9 medals already won in less than 3 years encourage us to continue on the path of quality and originality.

What does your cellar look like?

The winery is currently located within our juice production plant and distillery. The building houses all our processing and packaging lines. The latter is split into several groups and we have decided to move our barrels to group them together in a single building that has been renovated to become our future winery. The barrels will be moved in the coming weeks. This will be an opportunity for a few photos and a publication on our FB page.

Daily temperatures range from 5°C. Humidity is high (variations between 60% and 80% humidity). We are typically in tropical aging with an angels' share of around 5-6% on used barrels. This share increases significantly when using new barrels. Finally, note that the distillery and the cellar are located 500m from the lagoon and that the sea air is always present.

What types of barrels do you use, and what were your selection criteria?

From the beginning of the adventure, we decided to make a strong choice to stand out from our peers. This decision was motivated by the desire to preserve a difference between our rums and the rums already on the market. If Bourbon barrels are present with us to ensure aromatic continuity and consistency compared to existing rums, we have also integrated Banyuls barrels to give roundness, candied fruit and deliciousness to our old rums.

We have some barrels that allow us to produce finishes (Oloroso released in December 2020, Porto and Pinot Noir to come) as well as new barrels to work and improve the length in the mouth. Finally, we have French oak barrels that have previously contained vanilla extract and which allow us to produce our limited edition Vanilla Tahitensis which is aged in wood (between 6 and 12 months) and which naturally comes to be adorned with vanilla notes.

We are launching our first Brut de Fût Bourbon in June on the Polynesian market. The Single Cask Banyuls will be available again in July/August and our VSOP will return in December.

A limited edition for the metropolis is also planned for the end of the year with a Brut de Fût Banyuls selected with the Rhum Attitude teams.

How many barrels do you have at present?

We have about 150 barrels with the goal of reaching 300 within 5 years. I am deliberately remaining vague because we want to keep a degree of "confidentiality" on this point.

We remain a very artisanal distillery on a global scale with high production costs (the quality is there!). It will be impossible for us to compete with our West Indian colleagues who make very good white agricultural rums at unbeatable prices. We are also working with the political class for a tax rebalancing so that all rums from the DOM and TOM bear the same taxes, which is not the case to date (we pay twice as much and are considered a foreign rum).