The New "Pirate Beer" of Belize Product of Caribbean International Brewery Co. Ltd 251 ml for $2.50 plus the deposit ($0.50) for the bottle, when the bottle is returned you get back your bottle deposit.
Belizean beer drinkers already have a varied selection of local and
regionally produced brews to choose from, but as of last Saturday, a
new product has entered the market. It's called Pirate Beer, and it is
being locally brewed in the Orange Walk District by a fledgling
Belizean - Chinese company known as the Caribbean International Brewery
Company.
That company is hoping that they can break into a very crowded market -
where contraband Mexican beer is also a huge factor.
Today, they invited the press out to their headquarters in Carmelita
Village to introduce themselves to the general public, and our news
team was there. Daniel Ortiz reports:
Even if it hasn't arrived just yet, a new kind of beer will soon become
available for purchase at a store near you.
Nelsie Campos - Deputy Manager, C.I.B.C.L
"This last weekend we launched our beer, the pirate beer and that is
our product that we have now."
Daniel Ortiz
"When should customers start to see this particular item at their local
shop and grocery stores?"
Nelsie Campos
"They are already in the market, we have agents, we're working with
agents all over Belize."
Pirate Beer is brewed and bottled by the new beverage company on the
market, known as Caribbean International Brewery Company Limited.
The investors behind this enterprise built their brewing facility right
outside of Carmelita Village back in 2014.
Nelsie Campos
"Caribbean International Brewery started since November 2014, 6 years
from now. For the past 2 years we have in the market our water, the H2O
water and we have 3 different sizes of water and the pouches. These
have been in the market for the north, Corozal and Orange Walk for the
past 2 years. The company has 3 shareholders. All of them Belizeans.
Their names are Mr. Ken Shin, Kevin Xin, and Jun Zhang. They are
investors who have done studies. They are Belizeans. They have been
here for a long time, more than 20 years, and they have been doing
studies on the Belizean market. They decided that Belize needs a new
product, and they have a huge investment in the company."
Purified water was their first entry into the local market, and now, they
are diversifying their product portfolio with the introduction of this new
beer.
Nelsie Campos
"We are introducing a new beer, a unique very good beer for customers
to test."
Daniel Ortiz
"What's different about Pirate Beer?"
Nelsie Campos
"It's a unique beer, when you test it, you will get your answer more
clearly."
Pirate Beer's creators are well aware that they are seeking to enter a
market that has big players like Bowen and Bowen and their signature
Belikin Beer, among other alcoholic beverages. They say that they are not
attempting to compete for customer interest and attention. It is also why
they are depending on word of mouth recommendations from consumers to grow
their customer base
Nelsie Campos
"Our products are being introduced little by little to our market and
of course taking into consideration all precautions and it will be a
slow introduction to the market. We are starting little by little; it
will be advertised in our Facebook and different media and it will be
the agents that will be distributing and doing it for us."
And although CIB is looking to grow its Belizean customer base, they say
that one of the long-term goals is the exportation of their products.
Nelsie Campos
"We are mainly focusing on exporting, the export market."
The company is currently finalizing another beer product, which will be
available for sale by this weekend. Due to COVID reasons, the company
representatives could not allow the press to take a tour of their
facility. The employees who work inside their factory are currently
living on the compound, as a strict measure to decrease the risk of
exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opinions and views expressed on this board are the subjective opinions of Ambergris Caye Message Board members and not of the Ambergris Caye Message Board its affiliates, or its employees.