Baton Rouge’s Female-Led Oxbow Rum Fuels Local Spirits
Oxbow President Olivia Stewart Brings Product Transparency and Community Focus
On the edge of Baton Rouge, near the Mississippi River, lies Oxbow Rum Distillery. Founded in 2017, Oxbow has a spirit-filled mission: “to serve as stewards of our land and sugarcane by creating premium American rum, amplifying the stories of our past and present and serving our community.”
Though founded in 2017, the distillery’s legacy–and that of Oxbow President Olivia Stewart–begins five generations earlier.
“Our roots are in sugarcane,” said Stewart. Since 1859, the cane farm and sugar mill at the southern end of False River, Alma, has been in Stewart’s family. The sugarcane of Alma is the foundation of Oxbow Rum, both in the production process and in Stewart’s journey to leading the brand.
Rum on the Rise: Stewart Steps Up for Family
“My dad has run Alma for over 45 years, and it was my grandfather, great-great uncles and great-great grandfather before him that had run it starting in 1859,” said Stewart.
Seeing the generations of hardworking men before her, Stewart became the first woman to manage Oxbow and has done so since 2020, gaining the official title of president in 2022.
Yet, becoming the president of Oxbow Rum Distillery was not Stewart’s original plan.
In 2017, Stewart’s cousin managed Oxbow, followed by her father. When COVID hit in March 2020, Stewart took a break from her art-dealing career in Manhattan to visit her family, where she found her father running both the sugar mill at Alma and the Oxbow Rum Distillery.
“My husband and I realized we were needed back home and decided to take the leap,” said Stewart. “He and I both immersed ourselves in the distilling and spirits industry. It was a steep and difficult learning curve, but we are incredibly proud of how far we’ve come.”
Oxbow Rum President Olivia Stewart
Oxbow Rum Distillery Supports the Local Community
Stewart, who now lives on the Alma farm where production for Oxbow happens, said, “With the help of my husband and our team, we’ve gone through numerous changes, including a name change, a rebrand, recipe improvements and, most importantly, the building of a culture.”
Within the culture Stewart built is a spirit of community. Alma, Oxbow and family members of the brands support the following organizations:
- Baton Rouge Food Bank
- Funding provided for Pointe Coupee Parish
- Big River Economic and Agricultural Development
- Center for the Arts
- Minority scholarships for PCP arts programs
- Earnest Gaines Literary Award
- Annual grant for newly published African American writers in honor of PCP resident Earnest Gaines
- Founding Fathers 4 Youth
- H.O.P.E. Ministry of Pointe Coupee
- Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church
- Funding provided for major church building upgrades
- And many more. See the full list.
When asked about the community support, Stewart said, “It’s important to me because I think it’s the right thing to do. Alma/Oxbow and our family are committed to giving back to our community in Pointe Coupee Parish, as that is where the farm and mill are.”
Transparency in the Rum World
Oxbow Rum Distillery has two lines: Oxbow Estate Rum, the additive-free premium sipping rum, and False River Rum, the flavored rums, including spiced and dark.
Stewart shares that the False River Rum line is more popular in Louisiana because the products are sweeter. Yet, Stewart said, “It was important to me to make an additive-free rum for the sake of transparency and integrity.”
“Additives in rum are fine, that’s why I have the False River line,” said Stewart. “I just think it’s important to be honest about it. Everything in the bottle is on our labels, whether it’s Oxbow or False River. We are making our rum with integrity in every single step, and I think that’s more important now than ever.”
Stewart shared that rum is considered the “wild west” in the spirits industry. “It has very little regulation governing it by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), whereas whiskey and tequila are incredibly regulated,” said Stewart. “That is a blessing and a curse.”
“It allows for a great deal of creative versatility within the category, but also means falsified age statements and undisclosed additives are incredibly common,” said Stewart.
Oxbow Rum False River Line
Oxbow Rum Oxbow Estate Line
