Red Stripe wows Heineken family
Members of the Heineken family had only high praises for the Red Stripe team following a one-day visit to the Spanish Town Road brewery on Monday. “It’s not very often that I’m at a loss for words, but I’m blown away,” said Michel de Carvalho, husband of Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, who toured the plant and who were later entertained at a staff engagement luncheon.
“In the last 15 years we have visited over 45 countries in Africa, Europe and the Far East. But the reception the family received in Jamaica was number one,” said de Carvalho, who serves as a member of the supervisory board of Heineken NV. Charlene is the daughter of Alfred ‘Freddy’ Heineken and an executive member of the board. They were accompanied by their daughter Louisa and her fiancé Hugo Brassy.
The Amsterdam-based multi-national acquired Red Stripe in October 2015. With 240 brands in 192 countries, Heineken has a growing portfolio with laser-like precision on high quality, consistency, and added value as hallmarks of the company. “We are taking those brands and globalising them and that’s exactly what we are going to do with Red Stripe,” declared de Carvalho to rousing applause. “Red Stripe is the beer of Jamaica; it’s an iconic brand, and it’s the beer of reggae. It’s a no-brainer and we will look after your brand,” he promised.
Insisting they were ‘regular people’, the couple encouraged the employees to use their first names and lauded the team for the display of talent. The family was obviously captivated by the renditions of the staff, led by Ainsworth Wright, mechanical technician, and Sean McIntosh, SMI technician, who delivered a tight set of Beres Hammond hits. They were followed by their talented colleagues in dance and poetry, which mesmerised the attentive audience.
In her comments to the gathering, Charlene said the company’s success was due in part to the vision of previous generations that beer could be an international product. “I think there’s a bit of magic. People really get behind us and really want to do well with us, and we feel like a family,” she said.
The luncheon ended with an awards segment where staff received recognition for their ideation, innovation, leadership and quality. The Heineken family visit also included a breakfast meeting with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and a visit to the Bob Marley Museum.
