Caribbean Beer is known throughout the Caribbean and the diaspora for its iconic gold and blue bottle, which symbolizes the Caribbean sun and sea, the intentionally nostalgic brand. According to outgoing president and CEO of Carib Brewery USA, James Webb, “If you can’t make it to the Caribbean, we’ll bring the Caribbean to you.”
The sentiment affirms the brewery’s commitment to positively impact the diaspora and the rest of the world.
“Much of our population has immigrated from the Caribbean region and they long for those products that they bring back home. One of the biggest initiatives for us is to tap into that Caribbean pride and use that brand that we stand for so much to connect with the diaspora,” says director of marketing, Asa Sealy.
Although 2022 is a milestone year for the company, last year Carib Brewery USA made news for other significant achievements.
In October 2021, the company was thrust into the international spotlight with the release of a single called “Can You Feel It” featuring Toronto-based Trinbagonian singer, songwriter and producer Kerwin Du Bois along with Jamaican music sensation Shenseea. who signed on as a brand ambassador for Carib beer earlier that year. The song’s music video featured a notable entrance and exit from superstar American DJ and producer, DJ Khaled.
Sealy explained that the song and video are part of the company’s international marketing push, which aims to enliven and inspire regional pride.
“We wanted to take this opportunity to inject a measure of national and regional pride throughout the diaspora and unite the region under the common umbrella of our cultural exports, expertise and excellence,” he explained, following the video’s launch in October.
A month ago, in September 2021, the company announced that in June the Florida brewing company had changed its name to Carib Brewery USA. The move reflects Carib Brewery’s growing international success and strong brand equity. With this acquisition, Carib Brewery USA moved its operations to Space Coast, Cape Canaveral, Florida, where it also opened the 321 Lime House taproom offering the local community a taste of Caribbean hospitality.
All of this is just the tip of the iceberg for Carib Brewery USA. The company has a rich history and is a true success story in the Caribbean.
Carib breweries have operated in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis since the 1950s and 60s. In 2016, Trinidad-based ANSA McAL, an iconic corporate group comprising 48 companies in over 8 territories, acquired the brewery.
In the coming years, the company has plans to acquire breweries in other parts of the world and open multiple editions of its taproom model in other zip codes where Carib has properties.
Carib Beer is popular in the Caribbean islands, but the company’s current goal is that beer drinkers now living in Florida and other parts of the United States will see the Carib Brewery logo and feel like they can pick up a package of six reminds them of home.
Carib Brewery’s Cape Canaveral location produces about 600,000 beers a year, and the company’s beer brands include Caribe, Giant Leap, Key West, Swamp Ape and Hurricane Reef. The brewery, which has been described as an innovation hub where people can plan a tour and experience the Caribbean exclusively, also produces the butter served at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction at Universal Studios and Isla Nublar at Jurassic World. attraction
Effective September 1, 2022, Carib Brewery USA will be led by incoming President/CEO Malissa Sylvester, who is taking over from James Webb.
