E-Malt.com News article: Jamaica: Red Stripe to explore the possibility of locally grown cassava in its beers

A year after parent company Diageo declared its intention to replace 70 per cent of imported inputs with locally-grown raw materials by 2020, Red Stripe has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Jamaica Producers to explore the growth of cassava for use in its brewing, Guardian reported on March, 3.

The cassava study is part of the iconic Jamaican lager brewer’s plan to surpass Diageo’s global goal and replace up to 20 per cent of imported raw materials with local produce by 2014. Jamaica Producers is among the largest growers of cassava in Jamaica. The company had a total of 85 acres under cassava production up to 2011.

Red Stripe, which also reported a 31 per cent increase in second quarter net profits to JAM$468 million for the period ending December 31, 2012, said this move was among a number of initiatives it had implemented to increase efficiencies across its operations in a tightening beer market.

“These transformational projects we have in place, including building a co-generation plant and plant optimisation, reflect a clear and differentiated strategy which should help us to remain resilient against a backdrop of a more constrained environment and sustained global economic uncertainty,” the Jamaica Observer quoted Red Stripe’s Managing Director Cedric Blair as saying.

“It is a strategy that is creating a strong foundation for current and future growth by responding to the significant opportunities that are available to us beyond a domestic-only focus,” he reportedly added. Red Stripe said recently that it expects to complete a feasibility study on growing cassava for beer production in February. It has employed a full-time project manager and has already made a test batch of beer from the produce.

06 March, 2013