Our Story
Founded by Ryan, a former IT professional from Cairns who grew up surrounded by sugar cane farms, Rebellion Rum Co. was born from a desire for tangible craftsmanship and a career change during the 2020 pandemic. What started as a hobby distilling passion evolved into something much bigger when Ryan filled his first 1000L tank and realized the physical challenges of scaling up - "I knew I was in trouble pretty early on!"
Our name pays homage to the Rum Rebellion of 1808 - Australia's only military coup, sparked when authorities tried to take away the colony's rum. The young colony did the most Australian thing imaginable: told the oppressors to bugger off and overthrew the government. We carry that rebellious spirit forward, challenging conventions in rum-making while respecting traditional methods.
The French Bulldog theme throughout our branding? That's Pepito, our mascot, who came about through a family negotiation - when Ryan's wife wanted another child, he said his price was a hobby still and a French Bulldog. The rest is history!
Our Philosophy
We blend traditional rum-making methods with modern technology, drawing on Ryan's IT background to bring innovation to areas that traditionally haven't had much tech exposure. Our mission is simple: "Do for rum what modern gin did" - elevate the category with creativity and craft while maintaining respect for tradition.
Quality over quantity drives everything we do. We live on repeat customers, not one-time sales, which means every bottle that leaves our distillery must meet our exacting standards. If Ryan doesn't like a product, it doesn't go on the shelf - it's that simple. His personal favorite is our flagship Cloak & Dagger rum - a full-flavored, artisanal challenge that showcases our commitment to excellence.
Sustainability is woven into our operations with our bottle return scheme seeing an incredible 87%+ return rate. Customers get $3 back for each bottle returned, and our packaging boxes are reused multiple times. Our current record holder has returned 100 bottles - a mammoth effort that really shows the extent of our recycling commitment!
Local Roots & Community
We're proudly local, sourcing our sugarcane from farms at Jacobs Well and around Toowoomba, and using unfiltered honey from regional hives. Being hands-on with our raw materials isn't just good for quality - it supports our local economy and gives us complete control over our ingredients.
Community engagement is central to who we are. We sponsor local sports clubs, domestic violence advocacy groups, and are active members of the local Rotary Club. Our philosophy is simple: we want to give people a good time, but if we can minimize harm in any way, we will do that.
We're always looking to collaborate with other local businesses, often stocking boutique products from small businesses around the area. It's about building a community, not just a customer base.
Looking forward, we're focused on developing new special rum lines and expanding our online presence to allow for more experimentation. Our big goal? To craft world-class rum that stands out as an incredible product and redefines what Australian rum can be. We're happy with our current products, but we're not there yet - and that drive for continuous improvement is what keeps us passionate about what we do.
