Juan Serrallés Colón
| Juan Serrallés Colón | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Juan Eugenio Serrallés Colón 1836 Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Died | 1921 Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Occupation | Businessman, Philanthropist, Industrialist |
| Spouse(s) | Mercedes Perez |
| Children | Mercedes M. Serrallés (1st daughter) Julia Serrallés (2nd daughter) Juan Eugenio Serrallés (1st son) Jorge Juan Serrallés (2nd son) Pedro Juan Serrallés (3rd son) |
| Parent(s) | Sabastian Serrallés (father) Juana Colón (mother) |
Juan Eugenio Serrallés Colón (1836–1921) was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita in Ponce, Puerto Rico and what was to become Destileria Serralles, producers of "Don Q", a brand of Puerto Rican rum.
Juan Serrallés Colón, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the son of Sebastian Serrallés, a wealthy Spaniard from Catalonia who settled in Ponce in the early 19th century and went into the sugarcane business, and Juana Colon. Serrallés Colón was the owner of "Hacienda Mercedita" as well as the neighboring Hacienda Fe and Hacienda Laurel.
Juan Serrallés was raised in Ponce and educated in Spain. When Juan Serrallés returned to the island, he returned to lead the work in his hacienda (plantation).
In 1865, Juan imported a still which he purchased in France and produced his first few casks of rum. He named the rum Don Q in honor of the legendary Spanish fictional character Don Quixote. Soon after, the "Don Q" brand of rum became very popular in Puerto Rico and the family business began to grow.
In 1903 the Serrallés family, under the leadership of Juan Serrallés, installed the first continuous still in Puerto Rico. Juan Serrallés died in 1921 just as the production of rum was being halted because of the United States Prohibition Act of the 1920s. Juan's family continued to run the sugar side of the business but for the destillery side started to produce medical alcohol instead of the outlawed rum. It was called Alcoholado Superior 70.
Juan Serrallés Colón married Mercedes Perez (1845–1922), after whom he named his sugar plantation. They had three sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Juan Eugenio Serrallés, became the head of the Serrallés family business after Juan died in 1921. Juan's grandchildren — via Juan Eugenio's marriage to Rosa Maria Sanchez — were Rosa, Juan Eugenio, and Felix Juan.
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