Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that the J$2.2 billion dollars of new investment in the Red Stripe Cellars Expansion Project (CERS) is a very important sign that the country is doing well.

“There is significant investment being made in building the brand. Two billion dollars of new investment in changing out your production technology is very significant. It is not just protecting your investment, but it is a very important sign that the country is doing well. You as an international company have options all over and you continue to place your money in the factory which is right here on Jamaican soil to produce this great beer. It is a powerful symbol of confidence in Jamaica,” Holness said.

He was referring to Heineken, which manages Red Stripe, and their investment in the local brand addressing an urgent need to replace and extend Red Stripe’s cellars capacity to satisfy the growing demand for the company’s products and rectify the technical issues faced with their old horizontal beer storage tank blocks. 

Holness was speaking at the launch of the Cellars Expansion on Tuesday (March 28) at the Red Stripe Brewery on Spanish Town Road in St. Andrew where the company has modernised its brewing operations, satisfying growing demand and expanding Jamaica’s manufacturing industry with a J$2.2 billion cellars expansion for beer production

As part of the project, Red Stripe replaced and extended the cellars’ storage capacity to one million hectoliters of beer per year (1.0 mhl/year). The expansion also optimised brewing cold block processes such as cleaning, process flow/piping, as well as the automation platform.

“Red Stripe is a defining element of our brand. It is part of our intellectual property. It is Jamaica, which is why we acknowledge the value in it especially now that we have Heineken as part of the stakeholders and managers the brand maximising the value of the brand locally and overseas. At the same time, the authenticity and validity of the brand depends on Jamaica,” he said.

In endorsing CERS, Holness said that he wants to encourage continued investments in brand Jamaica.

He spoke of the country’s “tick-shaped” economic recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the country has seen a very sharp and rapid recovery where improvements are “better off today than we were in 2019.”

Holness then highlighted a few of the country’s achievements since 2019, such as the unemployment rate being at its lowest in the history of the country as well as the minimum wage being increased. He said that those achievements “would be the equivalent of The Financial Times writing about the great things that Jamaica is doing. It is the equivalent of Fitch upgrading the country’s ratings, it is the equivalent of Heineken investing in brand Jamaica.”

MORE ABOUT CERS

The Red Stripe Cellars Expansion will allow for the production of one million hectoliters of beer per year, which represents a 34 per cent increase in capacity. It will see an increased operational sustainability by reducing energy, water and chemical usage, significant risk reduction through improvements in operational health and safety, quality and hygiene have been made and there has been an optimised processes for beer fermenting, conditioning, and storage as well as an increased CO2 collection and cooling capacity.

The improvements made include the following:

– Installation of six new 5250hl Fermenting Storage Tanks
– Revamping ten existing multi-purpose tanks from Maturation/Bright Beer Tank functionality to Bright Beer Tank only
– Modifying existing vertical tanks to optimise the process for fermenting, conditioning, and beer storage
– Installing new storage tanks for processing
– Upgrading the CIP (Clean in Place) and process flow piping
– Increasing CO2 collection system and cooling capacity to manage the upgrades

The upgrades have contributed to Red Stripe reducing the plant’s environmental footprint and promoting environmental sustainability.

Read more about the Red Stripe Cellars Expansion at the link below:

Red Stripe gives nod to business confidence with launch of $2.2-billion expansion project

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