Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) is expanding its operations in St Kitts and Nevis, positioning the facility as a regional hub for distributing a wider range of Guyanese manufactured products to smaller Caribbean markets.
The company recently broke ground for the US$10 million expansion project, which forms part of broader efforts to strengthen commercial ties between Guyana and St Kitts and Nevis.
DDL Chairman Komal Samaroo said the company was ready to scale up the operation, noting the company’s wider product range positions St Kitts as a hub to supply smaller islands in the area.
“We are at a stage now where we want to expand that operation and, given the wider range of products that we produce in Guyana, to use St Kitts as a hub to supply the smaller islands in that area,” Samaroo said.
The expansion will include additional bottling operations. DDL will continue producing a local rum brand for the St Kitts market and for export, and the company also contract-manufactures another brand for a US company.
“We’ve been operating in St Kitts for the last 30 years. So we are expanding the facility we have to include the bottling. We do bottle a local brand of rum that we sell in St Kitts and to export, and we also have a contract to manufacture another brand for a US company,” he said.
Samaroo said products from DDL’s larger Guyana operation, including juices, dairy products, sparkling water and other beverages, will be supplied to St Kitts and subsequently exported to markets such as Anguilla, St Martin and Montserrat.
The company also plans to establish a visitor centre at the facility to allow cruise passengers to learn more about DDL’s brands and products.
A recent Guyanese delegation comprising DDL, the BK Group of Companies and World Trade Centre Georgetown (WTCG) met with members of the Guyanese Association of St Kitts and Nevis to explore trade, investment and business opportunities.
WTCG Executive Director Wesley Kirton said discussions are also underway with the St Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with a virtual meeting planned later this month.
A delegation from the federation is expected to visit Guyana in October for WTCG’s trade and investment conference, which will include a session on “Doing Business with St Kitts/Nevis.”
Air connectivity between the two countries has also emerged as an area of interest, with an initiative reportedly being developed.
Samaroo said the St Kitts government has welcomed and facilitated DDL’s expansion, describing it as a strategic move to broaden the company’s export markets and strengthen its international brand presence.
