RED Stripe, part of the Heineken company, in partnership with Celebration Brands Limited — its official distribution arm — moved its 2025 customer engagement series to Mandeville, Manchester, last week.

Approximately 150 trade partners gathered at the Golf View Hotel for an evening designed to strengthen relationships across Jamaica’s bar, restaurant, supermarket, and wholesale sectors. The event follows earlier sessions at Rose Hall Great House in St James, and Devon House in the Corporate Area.

The customer engagement series forms part of Red Stripe’s strategy to build closer, more collaborative partnerships with its customers.

“This initiative is about appreciation and alignment,” said Red Stripe Managing Director Daaf van Tilburg.

“For us, staying connected to our partners means gaining real-time insights from the people who bring our brands to life every day. It strengthens our ability to respond, innovate, and grow together. When we listen and collaborate, both our business and our customers’ businesses are better positioned to succeed,” added van Tilburg.

For many trade partners, the value of the evening lay in stepping beyond transactional updates. It was a rare chance to speak face-to-face with Red Stripe’s leadership, share on-the-ground realities and contribute to conversations that shape the future of their businesses.

“It’s important that our trade partners engage with us beyond reports and emails,” said Sean Wallace, Red Stripe’s head of commerce. “These events are about showing up, being present and reaffirming that we’re in this together.”