Monique Hamaty-Simmonds, CEO and president of Tortuga Imports, Inc. in Miami, Florida, was recently honored by Florida International University’s College of Business Administration as a 2005 Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame Finalist.
This prestigious awards program honors alumni who are successful entrepreneurs and also have contributed significantly to the entrepreneurial business community.
Recognized at the 12 May Induction Ceremony and Luncheon, Ms Hamaty-Simmonds was the only female nominee, according to a press release.
A 1996 FIU graduate in Business Administration, Ms Hamaty-Simmonds and her husband Marcus Simmonds opened Tortuga Imports in 1997 to bring ‘a taste of the islands’ to the American market.
They have built a growing international business for Tortuga Caribbean Rum Cakes and Gourmet Products.
Long a favourite souvenir of cruise passengers visiting Grand Cayman, Tortuga Rum Cakes now are distributed world-wide through the entrepreneurial efforts of Hamaty-Simmonds and her husband.
Today, Tortuga Rum Cakes are Cayman’s No. 1 export, sold in gift and specialty food departments and gourmet stores throughout North America and the Caribbean. They are also available on nearly 100 cruise ships, via mail order and online at www.tortugarums.com
Tortuga Imports, also known as the Tortuga Rum Cake Company, operates a retail store in Key West, Florida.
The company recently introduced Tortuga: a Taste of Florida Rum Cakes, to appeal to the more than 76 million annual visitors to the Sunshine State.
At only 33 years old, Ms Hamaty-Simmonds has nearly a decade of experience operating an import business and international gourmet-food company.
She is a second-generation entrepreneur who, during her school years, often worked with her father, Robert Hamaty, who founded the Tortuga Rum Company in Grand Cayman, B.W.I. more than 20 years ago.
In 2002, Ms. Hamaty-Simmonds and her husband, the chief financial officer for Tortuga Imports, were recognized by Gourmet News with the prestigious, biennial ’20 Under-40 Award’.
They have two young daughters, Jayda, aged 3, and Nadia, born in February, 2004.
Tortuga Rum Company, Ltd. is family owned and operated, based in Grand Cayman, B.W.I., with 17 retail and duty-free shops and three bakeries.
Franchise bakeries are in Jamaica, Bahamas and Barbados. Tortuga Imports/Tortuga Rum Cake Company handles worldwide distribution, mail order, food service and online sales from Miami, Florida.
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