Port of Spain, Trinidad. January 24, 2024: The House of Angostura® will be celebrating 200-year anniversary this year. With just a few weeks into the start of the new year, the House of Angostura® is ramping up preparations for a full year of festivities in honour of its bicentennial.
This year will be an extraordinary one for the House of Angostura® as new product releases, commemorative limited editions, and incredible anniversary parties are planned worldwide. Trinidad & Tobago is a country known for its ability to throw a good party, as its scenes at Carnival can attest. Angostura® will carry this legendary, vibrant energy through its anniversary celebrations internationally. This historic year will see the House of Angostura® join an elite group of companies that has successfully maintained its relevance with each new generation of consumers for 200 years by continually innovating and building on its legacy.
Every dash of ANGOSTURA® bitters has told a rich story for two centuries. The iconic bitters brand was born in 1824 when it was first formulated as a medicinal tincture in Venezuela by Dr Johann Seigert, surgeon general in Simón Bolívar’s revolutionary army. In the 1870s, Dr Siegert’s three sons moved to Trinidad, where Angostura® bitters has been made ever since to the exact recipe as in 1824.
In the 1950s, following the success of bitters, Angostura® decided to apply its know-how and passion for blending into crafting a range of beautiful rums. It now boasts one of the most highly awarded rum portfolios in the world. Angostura® today is one of Trinidad & Tobago’s crown jewels, and the two centuries-old history is a testament to the Company’s grit, drive, and determination.
Over the past 200 years, Angostura® has expanded from bitters and rum into other spirits, as well as low and non-alcoholic beverages. Some 183 years after the original aromatic bitters, Angostura® introduced ANGOSTURA® orange bitters, and the latest innovation, ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters, which was released in 2020. The manufacture of Angostura® cocoa bitters helps to support the survival of Trinidad & Tobago’s indigenous agricultural gem, Trinitario cocoa, and provides small-scale organic cocoa farmers with a sustainable future.
Chief Executive Officer of Angostura® Mr. Laurent Schun said, “For any company to reach 200 years is an incredible achievement. We are very proud and excited to celebrate our bicentennial year. We have so many plans that we are about to implement, including some exciting new products. As for the next 200 years, the future looks bright for Angostura.”