Rum Fest – Yonnick David’s vision of “tasting Guyana”
Humble beginnings and maintaining humility are some of the characteristics of charismatic leaders, this is exactly the case for Guyana’s own Yonnick David, a visionary and entrepreneur.
At a young age, David was already excelling way beyond his peers, He graduated two years early from his high school, then moved to New York to pursue his college education.
During his time in the big city, he solidified a career with Lufthansa as an operations agent, and within his 20s he was able to secure more money than most people his age.
This created time for him to establish a socialite status in the nightlife business and in the coming months, David was able to build connections with nightclub owners and managers in New York, solidifying his name and legacy in the City.
Finding Purpose
In 2014 his grandmother was approaching her 80th birthday and he promised her he would be in Guyana to spend it with her.
Within two weeks back in Georgetown, David began to recognize opportunities available within his homeland, noting that “During my visit, I went to a few night spots and restaurants. It had been quite a few years since I had been back and everything was the same. But the people were wearing fancier clothes, the cars were nicer, but everyone was doing the traditional businesses, and nothing pushed the boundaries. It felt like one big start-up. So, I figured out that a fresh perspective and some dollars could really turn things around.”
He returned to the United States and begun preparations for his return to Guyana, in 2015, the young man returned and started his journey of entrepreneurship.
Using the same networking talents, he learned from his time in New York David targeted the people he would need to make things happen in Guyana, adding that “New York City taught me that meeting, getting to know, and having people that believe in you, in your corner made all the difference. Regardless of if they had influence or not. Every productive endorsement is a step up.”
By 2018 David already made and nurtured relationships with business owners and the Government of Guyana; befriending Guyanese of all walks of life, from vegetable vendors, to fishermen along the coasts, cooks at the local restaurants etc.
The Rum Fest
In 2020, Yonnick David and his team of entrepreneurs and investors had developed Guyana’s first ever Rum Fest; a weekend of tastings, music & culture, along with alcohol ambassadors, and spirit lovers.
Inspired by the rum fests being held all over the world, David could foresee a new class of tourism the fest would bring to Guyana. The Rum Fest also made a great platform in telling the story of Guyana’s agriculture.
Rum is a byproduct of sugar production, (an activity that began before Guyana’s independence, then as a sugar- producing colony for England) which created another source of revenue when heavy importation started in the United Kingdom.
Guyana’s world- renowned El Dorado Rums and Xtra Mature Rums participated in David’s first Rum Fest.
In its first outing, Guyana Rum Fest 2020 had over 5,000 attendees each day, David noted that “The success of our first rum fest has directed a lot of eyes on Guyana. Many brands from different countries have shown interest in being a part of Guyana Rum Fest 2023.”
With the combination of Guyana’s rich topography for excursions, hiking, scenic waterfalls, and hunting experiences as well as the diversity of its people, David has created an opportunity for the country of Guyana to become a major destination in South America with its Rum Fest.
When asked about the main focus behind Rum Fest David declared “I want more people to see how beautiful my country is, even if we have to do it one sip at a time
