Commercial-grade ice manufacturer Pure National Limited has sought to address concerns regarding its importation of ice and the increase in the price of its products following a fire that damaged 90 per cent of its facility in the Corporate Area.

In a release, the company also assured consumers it “is committed to maintaining the highest quality standards in ice production while navigating recent challenges stemming from a devastating fire at its facility in November”.

As a result of the fire incident, Pure National suffered complete loss of production and storage capacity at the plant, causing a severe shortage in the supply of ice throughout Jamaica, especially during the holiday season when ice is in high demand.

CEO of Pure National Limited Theresa Lindo acknowledges that ice is essential to the economy, playing a vital role in food and beverage safety across restaurants, bars, hotels, attractions, and homes.

On this note, she added: “From 2019, we have consistently made substantial investments in our state-of- the-art facility to deliver the highest quality ice and water at the most competitive prices, and we are committed to rebuilding and restoring our production capacity.”

Adding to the discourse, Khary Robinson, director of Pure National Limited, explained the challenges the company now faces in re-establishing supply.

“Despite our efforts to quickly resume production and get ice back into the market, we have found that local suppliers are not able to fill the void left by our loss. Our rigorous quality standards and significant production volume is meaningfully more than we can garner locally,” he said.

In response to the urgent demand for ice, Pure National has sourced the commodity from a large-scale producer in the United States, which not only has the capacity but also meets both FDA and Bureau of Standards in Jamaica health regulations.

However, according to Robinson, “Unfortunately, the costs associated with importing ice — ranging from trucking to shipping and government clearance — far exceed our local production costs…As a result, we have had to implement a price increase of between $100 to $200 per bag, which merely covers the increased sourcing and delivery expenses.”

“Our primary focus is on ensuring that we provide safe, high-quality ice to the market that has been served by our brands – Happy Ice and Pure National Ice – for over thirty years. It’s important to understand that we do not control final pricing to the consumer since our sales are to retailers who set their markups as they see fit for their business.”

Robinson further acknowledged the current supply-demand mismatch is affecting pricing across various sectors of the ice market.

“We understand that pricing has become erratic as there has been instability in supply and its inability to meet demand. However, we are gaining traction and support from all stakeholders, including government entities, to stabilise pricing as quickly and steadily as possible. Our ultimate goal is to rebuild the most superior production facility in the region, which will allow us to regain our lower production costs and stabilise ice pricing back towards previous levels,” he said.

Lindo added: “We want to make it clear that Pure National is not seeking to profit from ice sales during this rebuilding period.”

She also encouraged consumers to seek ice from reputable suppliers.

“Ice is food, and how it is produced is vital to your health. We encourage everyone to consume ice only from trusted sources as we work tirelessly to resolve these issues and meet the demands of our valued customers.”