Bahamian Brewery’s double whammy

Bahamas | It has taken the Bahamian Brewery more than a year to come back on-line. In early September 2019, the tropical storm Dorian hit the islands, putting the brewery under more than one metre of water for hours and destroying all its electrical installations, finished product and raw materials.

It wasn’t so much the storm as the flood water which ruined the 45,000 hl brewery – despite it being built four metres above sea level as a precaution against flooding.

Bahamian Brewery, which was founded in Freeport in 2008 by local entrepreneur James “Jimmy” Sands, was forced to suspend production until new equipment could be installed. Although the damage was substantial, running into the millions of dollars, most was covered by insurance.

The rest of the country was not so lucky. Dorian’s path of destruction left thousands of people without a home. The total damage amounted to USD 3.4 billion, media say, and there were 70 official deaths in the country. Several hundred illegal immigrants are still unaccounted for.

After the storm

And then came covid-19. On 20 March 2020 the country of 390,000 people was put under lockdown. Technicians from Germany, who had been busy putting the brewery back together again, were forced to leave the country and couldn’t return until 1 July by means of a chartered plane.

It is hoped that the brewery will be back on stream in late September, serving the country with brands like Sands Beer, Sands Light, Strong Back Stout, High Rock Lager, Bush Crack Beer, Triple B Malt and Sands Passion Radler. In 2015 it won the Bahamian distribution contract for Budweiser and a host of other brands from AB-InBev.

Bahamian Brewery has been able to establish itself despite strong competition from Commonwealth Brewery, which is backed by Heineken with a 75 percent stake.

Alas, in mid-August another lockdown was imposed after a spike in new infections, preventing people from stockpiling food as they prepare for the next hurricane season.