Caribbean News
Red Stripe’s $2.2-Billion Cellars Expansion a Symbol of Confidence in Jamaica
#Kingston, March 31, 2023 – Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has hailed the $2.2-billion Cellars Expansion for Beer Production (CERS) project by Red Stripe as a symbol of confidence in Jamaica.
He said that the project represents a significant investment in the iconic brand, which is world-renowned for its
quality and is a critical symbol of Jamaica’s cultural legacy.
“It is a very important sign that the country is doing well, that you, as an international company that has options all over, that you continue to put your money in the factory that is right here on Jamaican soil to produce this great beer. It is a powerful symbol of confidence in Jamaica,” Prime Minister Holness said.
He was addressing the official launch and unveiling of the project on Tuesday (March 28) at the plant’s Spanish Town Road location in Kingston.
CERS was designed to address an urgent need to increase capacity to satisfy the growing demand for Red Stripe products and rectify the technical issues of the existing horizontal beer storage tank blocks.
As part of the project, Red Stripe replaced and extended the cellars’ storage to allow for the production of one million hectolitres (hl) of beer per year, representing a 34 per cent increase in capacity.
The upgrading project has also optimised brewing cold block processes such as cleaning, process flow/piping, as well as the automation platform.
The Prime Minster praised Red Stripe for its commitment to sustainability under the project.
He commended the company for the many innovations integrated into its operations to ensure its carbon footprint is low, that emissions and waste produced is managed, and that product packaging is recyclable.
Managing Director of Red Stripe, Luis Prata, said the investment and scope of the project is part of the company’s commitment to improving operations and realising its sustainability targets.
“This project represents another milestone on our innovation journey and our ambition to achieve greater efficiencies and increase productivity. Our new fermenting and processing tanks have delivered a 34 per cent increase in production volumes to fulfil our growth ambitions in the domestic and export markets,” he said.
“CERS is already allowing us to reduce energy and water and chemical usage of the old horizontal tanks, ensuring that our operations have little to no negative impact on the environment,” Mr. Prata added.
The scope of work undertaken includes the installation of six new 5250hl fermenting storge tanks; revamping 10 multipurpose tanks from Maturation/Bright Beer Tank functionality to Bright Beer Tank only; modifying vertical tanks to optimise the process for fermenting, conditioning and beer storage; installing new storage tanks for processing; upgrading the Clean in Place (CIP) and process flow piping; and increasing CO2 collection system and cooling capacity to facilitate the upgrades.
The project has also increased operational sustainability by reducing energy, water and chemical usage and resulted in significant risk reduction through improvements in operational health and safety, quality and hygiene.
Contact: Rochelle Williams
Release: JIS
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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