The new $1.6 million headquarters for Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Company will eventually create 15 new jobs and significantly boost distribution in the capital, according to CEO. Jimmy Sands, who is also the company's founder, said the new facility on Nassau Street should be open by the end of the month. Calling it "the flagship for Nassau", Sands told Guardian Business that he has already taken on five Bahamians and up to 10 more should be added in the coming weeks. The move will also boost efficiency and bring new products into the five Jimmy's Wines and Spirits on New Providence and two others in the Family Islands.
"Overall, it gives us a greater presence and more sales. In the past, there has always been a monopoly basically, so this will create another distributor," he said. "You have Bristol Wines & Spirits and the giant Burn's House. And then us. There is definitely room for three." The brewery, located in Freeport, has continued to chip away at the Bahamian market. Last year it introduced several new products, held Bahamian-inspired promotional events and signed on with Virgil's at Atlantis as an exclusive distributor of its products. Nevertheless, it remains an underdog in the market, with Commonwealth Brewery Limited (CBB) holding a far larger market share.
CBB is poised to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Kalik at its Clifton Pier location later this month. Sands told Guardian Business that his string of stores "could definitely grow". The new headquarters replaces the warehouse on Wulff Road and should facilitate more outlets, although he did not elaborate on how many more stores could enter the market. Turning to the U.S, the brewery chief said the process has taken longer than expected. "But we are progressing on that. It'll be some time this year. I was hoping it would be early 2013, but it looks like it'll be later on," he explained.
Sands has identified a number of restaurants and stores in Florida interested in carrying authentic Bahamian-made products. That mantra has been the driving force of the brewery's marketing campaign. Sands said yesterday that "national pride" will be a driving force in 2013, encouraging Bahamians to take pride in the home-grown products. "That is the new campaign. We want people to be proud of what they have, whether it be juice, soda or beer. You go to southern islands, they are proud of their products. In Nassau, we tend to be very Americanized. We have to get back to basics," he said.
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