Meet Sylvain Guzzo who, together with his partner and founder of Boutique du Rhum Guadeloupe Stéphane Vangout, is taking over Christian de Montaguère’s cellar. His approach? Offering personalised advice and gems from the French West Indies and elsewhere, at reasonable prices.
So you are the one taking over the former Christian de Montaguère shop. Could you introduce yourself?
I am Sylvain Guzzo, co-founder of La Boutique du Rhum Paris, the new brand that will run the shop formerly known as Christian de Montaguère. But I am not new to the world of rum – I have been immersed in it for over 30 years!
Since 1995, in fact, when I was young and bursting with energy. I was approached by the Damoiseau family at the time, who entrusted me, through my commercial agency, with representing their brand for a little over 10 years in mainland France and abroad.
Then, in 2005, I returned to my native island of Guadeloupe, which I had sorely missed. I took part in the wonderful adventure that was the Karukera rum distillery for over 17 years. I left in 2024.
So now you’re heading to Paris?
Yes, my cousin Stéphane and I had been thinking about this for several years. I wanted to replicate the concept store La Boutique du Rhum Guadeloupe, which has established itself as the rum specialist in Guadeloupe. It’s much more than just a shop: it’s a place for sharing knowledge!
La Boutique du Rhum doesn’t just sell rum, it shares a culture, a history and expertise. The Guadeloupean brand has three outlets in Guadeloupe: the main, historic shop in the Jarry industrial zone, and shops in Le Gosier and Deshaies.
Each visit is an immersive experience: travel journals, trends and new products. Everything is designed to offer a warm, inspiring and memorable experience.
What is Boutique Rhum Guadeloupe’s positioning?
For over a decade, it has been recognised for its expertise, rigorous product selection and commitment to quality. It has truly taken on the role of influencer.
How did you come to take over Christian’s historic shop, which had been in business for over 15 years?
My partner Stéphane Vangout, founder of La Boutique du Rhum, and I had been observing the growing popularity of rum among mainland French consumers for several years. Rum is now the French people’s favourite spirit. Much more than a Caribbean concept store, Christian de Montaguère’s shop has been the iconic rum destination in Paris, a showcase for all rum producers and Caribbean products. Taking over this highly symbolic location is an honour and a privilege for us, as well as a wonderful opportunity.
But right now, it seems that rum specialists are struggling a bit. Aren’t you afraid of entering the market at a bad time?
The retail sector is indeed going through a difficult period, marked by a certain reluctance on the part of consumers. We will focus on reducing the supply chain and, above all, keeping our logistics costs under control.
Will you be offering a different range or will you try to make your mark with bold choices?
We will build on the brand’s DNA, but we will also try to make small adjustments to adapt to the metropolitan market by offering molasses rums, particularly from Jamaica and Haiti. More generally, we want to showcase all the different facets of rum from all over the world, including distillation methods, terroirs and ageing processes. Each distillery has its own little recipes, and we will be putting them in the spotlight!
Tell us a little about your product range.
I would say that the secret of this concept lies in its discerning selection of iconic and exclusive vintages. We offer both novices and enthusiasts a selection of agricultural rums, aged rums, white and spiced rums, and fruit punches… because the term ‘arrangé’ does not apply in the West Indies.
In the West Indies, we talk about fruit punch because we don’t arrange good things. We have gems from all the distilleries in Guadeloupe, but more broadly from distilleries in the French West Indies and even internationally. In short, La Boutique du Rhum Paris will probably have one of the largest selections of rums from the French West Indies!
Are these exclusively agricultural rums or pure juice rums?
Mostly, but not exclusively. We will be highlighting independent bottlers from around the world and distilleries in the Caribbean, particularly the French West Indies, Réunion, Haiti and Jamaica. Central and Latin America, the traditional home of molasses rum, will not be left out.
Christian de Montaguère was particularly well known for his special vintages and bottlings. Will you be following in his footsteps?
We will indeed be continuing this wonderful initiative that Christian explored with the most prestigious rum distilleries. His exclusive bottlings earned him a fine reputation.
Will there be other spirits in the shop?
No, but we are thinking of setting up a corner with some fine foods from the West Indies and Réunion. It’s always a good idea, as it complements the rum selection and customers will be delighted to find products in Paris that they discovered locally.
Will there be events and masterclasses?
Yes, of course! We will be organising tasting workshops.
What about the website?
When we took over Christian de Montaguère’s business, the e-commerce site was part of it. I have commissioned a webmaster to completely revamp it in line with the Boutique du Rhum’s graphic charter. Today, you know as well as I do that the e-commerce site is an essential showcase and, above all, a tool that accelerates the development of our business in mainland France.
This will give curious enthusiasts and discerning collectors in the provinces or the Paris region the opportunity to explore our virtual product catalogue and discover a wide selection of white, aged and spiced rums, our exceptional vintages and our fruit punches.
La Boutique du Rhum Paris
20, rue de l’Abbé Grégoire, Paris, France, 75006