Amarula was first marketed by Southern Liqueur Company of South Africa (the current trademark owners and wholly owned subsidiary of Distell Group Limited) as a liqueur in September 1989, the Amarula spirit having been launched in 1983.

[2] African bush elephants enjoy eating the fruit of the marula tree.

[4] For marketing efforts, it produces elephant-themed collectible items.

In 2002, the Amarula Elephant Research Program (AERP) was launched under the direction of Rob Slotow, a professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa.

This primarily researches the way of life, the range of movement and the behavior of the African elephant with the aim of protecting the habitat of the elephants and securing their future in the wild.