Our History
-1983
AMARULA IS INTRODUCED
The Spirit of Africa was born, when we first bottled a clear spirit distilled from the exotic marula fruit.
-1989
AMARULA CREAM HITS THE SHELVES
We introduced cream to our recipe, and the Amarula cream liqueur hits shelves domestically.
-1994
AMARULA CREAM IS INTRODUCED TO THE WORLD
We take Amarula to the world, with the introduction of Amarula Cream first in Brazil and subsequent to the rest of the world.
-2008
AMARULA TRUST
The Amarula Trust is launched so that we can forever keep meeting elephants beneath the marula trees.
-2014
AMARULA CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
Amarula Cream celebrates 25 years in South Africa. Amarula Gold is launched.
-2016
A NEW SHAPE
The elegantly tapered Jabulani bottle (named for an orphaned baby elephant reintroduced into the wild) is introduced.
-2018
AMARULA’S FIRST FLAVOURED CREAM LIQUEUR
Amarula Vanilla Spice is introduced to the global market, infusing hints of Madagascan vanilla extract and Nigerian ginger to our classic cream liqueur. Vanilla Spice won World’s Best Cream the year after its launch. In the same year, Amarula signs a landmark conservation deal with WildlifeDirect.
-2019
NEW FLAVOUR LAUNCH
Following the success of Vanilla Spice, a new flavour, Raspberry, White Chocolate and African Baobab, is introduced to the global market.
-2020
ETHIOPIAN COFFEE LAUNCHED IN EUROPE
Adding to the flavour range, a new flavour was introduced that infuses the original taste of the real Marula fruit, perfectly complemented by the full-bodied and fragrant mocha-chocolate undertones of single origin Arabica beans from Ethiopia.
-2021
AMARULA HAS A SLEEK NEW LOOK!
Same Spirit, New Look. The clean lines of both bottle and label are refreshed and designed to communicate Amarula’s soaring free spirit. Enrobed in this distinctive setting is the brand’s essence: the succulent marula fruit in all its glory!
Marula, Fruit of the Spirit
Everything starts with the Marula fruit
There is just one place on earth where the Marula trees grow – across Africa’s subequatorial plains. And there is just one time of year when the Marula trees bear their exotic fruit – at the height of our beautiful summer.
The size of small plums but oval in shape, the Marula fruit ripens to a rich yellow, with a tough outer skin surrounding its fibrous, white flesh. Containing four times more vitamin C than the average orange, Marula is a succulent fruit with a citrus tang and a creamy, nutty taste.
Archaeological evidence of Marula fruit can be dated back as far as 10 000 BC with traces of Marula kernels found in the ancient Pomongwe Cave of Zimbabwe. The smooth, light brown seed inside each Marula fruit protects its oil-rich kernels which are an essential source of nutrition and have anti-oxidant as well as moisturising properties.
THE HARVEST
The Marula trees cannot be cultivated. No matter how hard people have tried, these mysterious, African trees stay robustly true to their earthy roots and grow only where they choose. Only once a year, at the peak of summer, the Marula trees bear their sacred fruit.
When the scent of ripe Marula fills the air, the elephants travel vast distances in order to get a taste. This is our cue to begin the harvest. Local communities are an integral part of the process, and carefully hand-pick the fruit once the elephants have raised their trunks in approval.
THE AFRICAN LEGEND
Storytelling has always been central to African life. The Marula tree, as the source of several fascinating legends, has become a sacred and intricate part of ancient African culture. Locals have revered these trees for centuries and refer to them fondly by various names.
Because elephants travel for miles to feast on the wild fruit, locals call it ‘The Elephant Tree’. African folklore also refers to it as ‘The Marriage Tree’. Apart from making a beautifully natural wedding canopy, it’s also said to have aphrodisiac properties and features in tribal fertility rites. The ripening of the Marula fruit in summer coincides with great celebrations in many parts of Southern Africa. In Swaziland, for example, the annual Marula Festival is celebrated at the king’s royal residence, sustaining the belief that the Marula fruit is fit for kings and queens.
Like the elephants, the Marula trees are protected under South African law. They are a key part of African heritage and may not be farmed for commerce. The fruit however is sold in a variety of natural products, Amarula of course being one of them.
OUR Purpose
Amarula is inspired by the generosity of spirit of the marula tree. As the tree shares its carefree gift of joy with the elephants and community, so too do we honour this symbiotic ecosystem, from soil to hands and glass (and beyond).
Amarula and the elephants are intimately connected through our African roots and the Marula fruit. This is why the Amarula Trust was created in 2008 with the aim to safeguard the African elephants. With less than 400,000 elephants left in the world, and their numbers decreasing at an alarming rate, we are going to work together with organisations to help protect our elephants and safeguard our heritage – so that in the years to come we can continue meeting them beneath the Marula trees.
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EXPLORE OUR COMMITMENT
Wildlife Direct
In the world of wildlife conservation, a critical situation – in this case, the future of an entire species – dictates that bold and imaginative steps are not only necessary but vital. Since 2017, the Amarula Trust has been supporting Wildlife Direct in protecting our majestic heritage.
HERD – South Africa’s first elephant orphanage
Caring for and rehabilitating orphaned elephants, to give them a new family, and a second chance of life with another herd. The orphanage lies adjacent to the Jabulani Herd stables on the Kapama Private Game Reserve, which allows us to integrate each baby elephant into the herd according to their individual emotional needs.
The Handwork Hub – Women’s Empowerment
A Distell E+Scalator project, since incorporation in February 2017 the ladies have made more than 40 million tassels for Distell’s Amarula Cream bottles! All the ladies are serious minded about their jobs and are striving to make their children’s lives better than their own.
