Above: the brewery produces the Prestige beer brand, among others
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Heineken will be investing more than $40 million in the coming years to upgrade and expand the Brasserie Nationale d’Haiti (BRANA) brewery in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the company announced Monday.
The announcement came during a visit by former US President Bill Clinton, who was in Haiti on an agricultural investment mission.
Part of the investment will include funding for regional programmes that build the capacity of smallholder farmers. according to the Clinton Foundation.
Heineken had previously made a $15 million commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative to locally source 20 percent of all raw materials for brewed products and 40 percent of packaging materials.
“Heineken is committed to improving the economic circumstances of the people of Haiti through our ‘Brewing a Better Future’ programme,” said John Nicolson, Heineken president, Americas. “Our continued investment in local sourcing and capability building will positively impact the lives and opportunities of thousands of Haitians.”
The company employs more than 1,200 people in Haiti. Brana produces several local and licensed brands, led by Prestige.
By 2018, Heineken plans to have improved the livelihood of 18,000 farmers “by sourcing their sorghum for the packaging of Heineken products.”
Heineken raised its stake in Brana in late 2011 from 22.5 percent to 95 percent.
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