Red Stripe better watch out!  WISYNCO is officially in the beer business.

So WISYNCO just opened its new US$35 million brewery and manufacturing facility at Lakes Pen in St. Catherine.

According to WISYNCO, this move is “one of its most important steps yet”.

The factory will operate as a full-blown brewery and put the company directly into beer, stout and malt beverage production. They’ll also manufacture ready-to-drink spirits and ginger. 

At the launch, WISYNCO rolled out Legend Beer, M-Powa Malt, which is a non-alcoholic malt drink, and Mamba Stout. 

They have plans to bring on other ready-to-drink offerings like mixed rum beverages under the Worthy Park brand and locally made Stone’s Ginger Wine through its partnership with Select Brands.

So, this is a big deal for WISYNCO.  It’s also a huge risk – US$35 million risk!

Because, WISYNCO is known for soft drinks and bottled water. This investment puts it in competition with foreign brands like Red Stripe and Heineken. And those brands have deep customer loyalty. 

On the other hand, if they can meaningfully break into the market, it also gives WISYNCO room to grow revenue. Legend Beer and Mamba Stout are already on shelves.  They’re hoping the “by Jamaica, for Jamaicans” pride will help capture customers.

Plus, the new brewery is good for the economy. It’s already created 285 new jobs between direct production, distribution and sales.

There’s the potential to export the products to the region and the US. So there’s a lot on the line for WISYNCO.

And that’s the bottom line.