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.
