Beverage manufacturer Trade Winds Citrus Limited (TWCL) is looking to strengthen its export business as it leverages the tetra pak technology to extend product shelf life and unlock greater opportunities in overseas markets.

Exports currently account for roughly five to six per cent of the company’s overall sales, but Managing Director Peter McConnell believes the investment of more than US$20 million in shelf-stable packaging will allow TWCL to push harder into international distribution channels, particularly among Diaspora communities.

“Now that we have the tetra pak technology, which gives products a longer nine-month shelf life, we can push harder on exports,” McConnell told the Jamaica Observer during an interview following a Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA)-led Tour and Learn initiative held on Wednesday at the company’s factory in Bog Walk, St Catherine.

Prior to the introduction of the tetra pak line, TWCL’s chilled product format posed major challenges for exports as beverages carried a shelf life of only 30 to 45 days. The technology is now featured across most of the company’s stock-keeping units (SKUs) and these products account for approximately 32 per cent of revenues generated from its beverage business.

TWCL, as one of the country’s leading beverage manufacturer, now distributes and markets a diversified commercial portfolio that includes juices sold under its flagship Tru-Juice and Freshhh brands, dairy, and plant-based products under its Tru-Milk and Tru-Shake lines, as well as alcoholic beverages traded under the Calico Jack brand.

With the advanced packaging technology, products can now remain shelf-stable for up to nine months, making overseas shipping and wider distribution far more practical. This, as the technology allows perishable products such as milk and juice to last significantly longer without refrigeration or preservatives. Tetra pak packaging achieves this through multi-layered aseptic technology designed to block light, air, and harmful bacteria.

Despite the improvement, McConnell acknowledged that breaking into global beverage markets remains highly competitive, especially against producers operating in lower-cost countries.

“It is difficult to be competitive in overseas markets with beverages unless you have a very unique product,” he said, while noting that as a result of this, Trade Wind has had to focus much of its export efforts on the Jamaican Diaspora markets spread across North America, the Caribbean, and the United Kingdom — where demand remains strongest as natives continue to seek out authentic home-made products.

While TWCL currently exports to Diaspora-heavy markets through retail channels catering mainly to Caribbean consumers — particularly in cities such as New York — McConnell admitted that significantly more work will be needed for the company to penetrate mainstream American markets on a much larger scale.

Despite its export ambitions, the managing director said the company’s broader strategy, however, remains heavily focused on expanding its reach within the local market while supporting import substitution initiatives.

“While we will continue to try and grow our exports, my focus is more on the local market in terms of widening our product offerings because I don’t think we are doing enough to substitute imports,” McConnell said.

“I think as a country we continue to rely too heavily on imported food and beverages, creating significant opportunities for us as manufacturers to expand domestic production,” he added.

McConnell said that while exports remain important, there is still substantial room for growth within the domestic market, and as such is encouraging consumers to support more locally produced goods.

“As a proud Jamaican manufacturer, it annoys me to see how much imported food we are consuming in liquid and solid form, and that’s why I am now so focused on looking at how we can get more people to grow what we eat and eat what we grow,” he said.

Peter McConnell, managing director of TWCL and members of his management team responds to questions from JMEA members during a Tour and Learn event held at the Bybrook, Bog Walk factory on May 13, 2026

Tetra-Pak products packaged and ready for distribution from TWCL warehouse