President and chief executive officer of the Jamaica Broilers Group Christopher Levy says the company is effectively carving a niche in the United States despite COVID-19.

The group currently operates in six US states; Florida, Arkansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and South Carolina.

“What we have in the US is a vertically integrated operation, where the production of eggs, feeds, and poultry meat is done in different states. We have our local operations abroad.

“The Lord has been good to us regarding our operations in the United States during COVID-19, despite the impact the pandemic has had on the meat industry,” Levy said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer’s Caribbean Business Report.

Levy shared that the meat industry, which in the US is a people-intensive industry, came firmly under the health microscope. The company took note of this, he shared, and made proactive moves to offset any damage.

“We did not lose any workdays, and only five of the over 500 people we employ in the US contracted the virus, three of those who tested positive were deemed negative after retesting,” Levy said.

Commenting on the differences between the company’s operations in Jamaica and the United States, especially during COVID-19, Levy said: “One of the big differences between the two is the speed of business in the US, that is, the speed of decision-making and how fast you have to execute. The luxury of time does not exist in the US. It is always quick. When we saw what was happening, that is, a quick demand for the product (chicken) but not through the usual distribution channels which in the US are very established and sometimes inflexible, we started to place trucks with chicken at several locations. We sent trucks with the Best Dressed chicken to Georgia and elsewhere, and we would sell off quickly. That got us through the inventory we had and allowed the plant to keep on producing.”

When COVID-19 was hitting hard in the US, Levy said there were many instances when supermarket managers would come to the plant in their pick-up trucks to get the chicken to put on their shelves, and the company was ready and there for them.

“This response earned us a lot of respect and goodwill…it was a case of the Best Dressed working and serving them — giving them whatever they needed. The Best Dressed brand was and is still on the shelves up there, and it is amazing how well it has been received.

“We had trucks on the roads in Jamaica, in Portmore, Old Harbour, and Spanish Town. And while it was convenient for many of our customers, especially during the St Catherine lockdown, it was not enough to significantly impact the inventory we had,” he said.

                            COVID-19

What has happened since the start of COVID-19 in the US? The answer from Levy was clear.

“The fast pace of doing business has become even faster. The fluidity of information has gone north, people just wanted the product to buy, and we had to move faster in supplying this demand. Before COVID-19, orders would come in say on a Monday with delivery expected by Wednesday. That was the accepted arrangement. Now it is order today and delivery today, that is the new normal for us in the US. “

REOPENING OF THE LOCAL ECONOMY

Regarding the phased reopening of Jamaica’s economy, Levy believes that it will take time.

“We have to open up the country. The Government cannot continue to fund the economy, that is not a feasible long-term solution. The impact of COVID-19 on the local economy is going to hit us down the road, not so much in June and July but further down, it has a lag effect.

“You have a lag when the economy turns down before it starts to get on its feet again, and there will be a lag in revenue flows throughout the economy.

“I don’t see us (Broilers) or Jamaica getting back to pre-COVID-19 volumes for the next 18-24 months.

“The time that it takes for businesses to recover and reinvest and get the economy rolling as it was before COVID-19, is going to take time, it won’t happen overnight,” Levy ended.