UFC fighter Aljamain Sterling seeks US$1m to fund J’can rum venture

Professional mixed martial arts fighter Aljamain Sterling, the son of Jamaican expatriates, aims to raise up to US$1 million through a US securities crowdfunding offering to scale his brand, Funk Harbor Rum.

“Every bottle of Funk Harbor Rum is 100 per cent fermented, distilled, and aged in Jamaica. We partner with some of Jamaica’s most respected distilleries and master distillers, drawing on centuries of craftsmanship,” according to the prospectus.

Sterling, a former UFC champion, incorporated Funk Harbor Spirits Inc in Delaware in July 2025 and is offering up to one million shares of Class B non-voting common stock at US$1.00 per share through the Republic crowdfunding portal. The minimum fundraising target is US$75,000.

The brand’s pitch is rooted in Sterling’s heritage. “My parents emigrated from Jamaica to New York, but our home always carried the spirit of the island,” Sterling said in the prospectus filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company said its rum contains no additives, artificial colours or preservatives – a differentiator in a category where many mass-market brands use flavouring and colouring to cut costs, it reasoned. The name itself draws from the Dry Harbour Mountains in Jamaica, where Sterling’s family gathered for dominoes, laughter and rum.

Funk Harbor sells through four channels: direct-to-consumer online sales, physical retailers such as liquor stores, on-premise hospitality partners, including bars and restaurants, and third-party retail platforms. Logistics and distribution are handled through Park Street, a third-party beverage alcohol import and logistics provider.

The financials, however, reflect a business still in its infancy. From inception in July 2025 through to December 2025, Funk Harbor generated net revenue of roughly US$35,000 and recorded a net loss of some US$74,000. Selling and marketing costs of about US$58,500 accounted for the bulk of spending. The company ended the period with US$100 in cash but with about US$170,500 in finished goods inventory.

Sterling has personally funded the operation through interest-free loans.

Fellow MMA fighter Merab Dvalishvili, Sterling’s training partner and close friend, also features in the offering materials, describing the venture as “global, authentic, and rooted in culture”.

Funk Harbor enters a market with deep roots in Jamaica’s economy. Rum exports earned the island some US$57 million in 2024, according to the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica. That figure reflects the production value rather than finished sales.

The industry faces headwinds after Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa in 2024 and 2025, with the Spirits Pool Association projecting a 20 to 30 per cent decline in output for the 2025-2026 season.

Jamaica’s distilleries export both finished branded rum – led by J. Wray & Nephew’s Appleton and Overproof lines – and bulk rum, which overseas spirits companies purchase and market under their own labels.

The annual sales of the largest Jamaican rum producer, J. Wray & Nephew Limited, generated over US$148 million in 2024. The company’s portfolio includes popular brands such as Appleton, Wray & Nephew, Magnum, and Campari.

National Rums of Jamaica, which operates the Monymusk, Long Pond and Innswood estates, accounts for roughly 60 per cent of the island’s bulk rum exports, supplying major international brands, including Diageo’s Captain Morgan. Funk Harbor’s model sits at the branded end of that spectrum, sourcing finished Jamaican rum and marketing it directly to US consumers, leveraging Sterling’s reputation. That includes a record of 26 wins, five losses, and no draws, according to UFC data.

business@gleanerjm.com