Amarula is an award-winning, well-balanced, easy-drinking and versatile cream liqueur, made to be enjoyed across different occasions. Since its introduction in 1983, it has grown into a world leader. It is the only cream liqueur crafted using the exotic marula fruit, which is handpicked from wild marula trees in Southern Africa in sustainable partnership with local communities. Each bottle offers an authentic experience of Africa and represents a brand that has a proud presence in over a 100 countries around the world.
Extracting the spirit of the marula fruit begins after the elephants and other wildlife have had their share of ripe fruit from the summer bounty. Local women harvest the ripe fruit beneath the canopy of the trees and transport it to facilities where the inner stone and skin are removed. The inner white pulp is fermented and distilled as quickly as possible to retain as much of the fresh, fruity flavours in the marula spirit.
After distillation, the spirit is aged in French oak barrels for two years, infusing wood spice characteristics of vanilla and caramel from the oak into the spirit liquid. These flavour characteristics are further enhanced by the later addition of cream, giving Amarula its rich and velvety consistency.
Amarula comes in five unique variants: Original Cream Liqueur; Vanilla Spice Cream Liqueur; Raspberry, Chocolate and African Baobab Cream Liqueur; Ethiopian Coffee Cream Liqueur; and most recently, Amarula Vegan.
In 2020, Amarula began a process of refreshing and contemporising its brand image. With a new brand identity, pack upgrades and global website, the brand evolved from a well-loved but slightly staid image to a colourful, vibrant and contemporary expression of Africa.
In 2022, Amarula launched the first gin to be distilled from real Marula fruit, which only grows in sub-Saharan Africa. Amarula African Gin is an award-winning, hand-harvested gin made from the rare and precious Marula fruit for a refreshingly unique flavour. This distinctive gin joins the wider Amarula brand alongside the world leading Amarula Cream Liqueur.
Every bottle contributes to the Amarula Trust, which is the charitable arm of Amarula. The Amarula Trust formally came into being in 2008 and is sustained through the activities of the Amarula brand, from soil to hands and glass, with two core CSI areas: community strengthening and elephant conservation.