Growth & Jobs | R J Rums and Spirits growing and exuding the essence of Jamaica

THE BEVERAGE market is a very competitive one on which a plethora of brands, flavours, and essences are constantly jostling for the palates of discriminating consumers. It is an unforgiving space. If people do not like it, they will not buy it. For that reason, and many more, several brands have disappeared, some within a short time after hitting the market, never to return.

But, for Royal Jamaican Rums and Spirits Ltd, there is no disappearing act. They are in it for the long haul, constantly expanding the range of their products, which include Royal Jamaican Ginger Alcoholic Beer, Royal Jamaican Sorrel Beer, and a variety of rums.

They describe their ginger beer thus: “A crisp, refreshing, full-bodied ginger taste that invigorates the senses.”

That is what they started out with in 2012, but this tingling sensation was brewed and packaged by one of Jamaica’s long-standing producers of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. That arrangement came to an end in 2017, putting production and sales on hold. The drink was mainly for the overseas market, so they had to ask for patience from their customers while they set up, for three years, a property acquired in downtown Kingston to establish their own brewery.

It was an anxious time, of course, but ideas were still flowing. A decision was taken to brew sorrel to meet the Christmas demand, and thus sorrel beer became their second product. “We had a lot of ideas, but the lowest hanging fruit was sorrel beer,” Peter Wong, co-founder and general manager, shared with The Gleaner recently.

“It’s a more natural product than the others [on the market],” he said, “and every day people tell us they like our sorrel, and it’s a beer. It’s not Christmas sorrel, so it is supposed to be more refreshing.” The people loved it, but then COVID-19 and all the crosses that it brought along intervened in 2020.

All the while, however, some rum-making was going on in a cottage industry context. So, when the pandemic arrived, it “spurred” them to find something to do “to keep the lights on”. Greater attention was paid to the rums, and with exports virtually at a standstill, the hotels and the airports were good placement points. Their spirits were not dampened significantly.

Royal Jamaica Rums and Spirits weathered the storms, and today they have several products, some of which they are producing for other entities. Apart from the two beers, there are Royal Jamaican 12-year-old, Dark/molasses, White spiced, White/legacy, Gold, and Spiced rums; West Indies Cream, Blue Mount Coffee, and Rum punch; Jamaican Lion dark, Overproof, Spiced and Gold rums; Banana Tropix, Guava Tropix, Mango Tropix and Coconut Tropix.

They had a very popular booth at Jamaica Expo 2023 at the National Stadium complex, where patrons could not get enough of their non-stop samples. At the 2022 Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry Expo, the brand got the award for the booth that had the most visitors daily, a testament to the rising popularity of the beverages that are attractively packaged. No one can miss the two skull-shaped bottles of rum, rum drinkers’ keepsakes after the rum is done.

The feedback towards the items is generally good, because they have their unique appeals, and while there is no intention of competing with the “big boys”, they want to be known for their “offerings”, the ginger beer and sorrel beer already palate favourites. “We can find our own niche, we choose our own battles,” Wong stated, clearly aware of their limitations.

And that’s why the overseas markets are important to their survival. The ‘Jamaican-ness’ of the products works well overseas, as they try to represent Jamaican culture with the products, and there is much traction for the rums, which Wong said is the “best of Jamaica to the world”.When The Gleaner visited, there were stacks of boxes of the beverages on pallets waiting for containers from Canada.

This means more space is needed if further expansion is to take place, as the current production space is limited. Ten years from now, a relocation would have taken place, preferably to another space in Kingston, Wong said. For now, Royal Jamaica Rums and Spirit Ltd is holding its own on the domestic and international markets, exuding the essence of Jamaica.