Going Green can taste good with SANDS!

The importance of local business support for the positive economic future and environmental health of our island has never been greater. The Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company is leading the way in these areas with their outstanding commitment to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle waste, support job growth, and give back to the local community.

On the Green front, the Brewery offers a bottle return program for all bottles that originate from their facility. On a monthly basis roughly 9,000 cases of product are shipped using bottles that have been brought back to the brewery as part of their bottle return program. If this trend stays on course, it equates to over 200,000 bottles every month, or over 2 million bottles per year that are saved from the fate of ending up in the GB landfill. As an added bonus, the bottle return program has decreased trash on our island’s streets as people have realized they can return the bottles to the brewery for $2/case.

The bottle reuse program is just the tip of the iceberg. The brewery also recycles all of their waste aluminum that is created during the canning process of their beverages. All aluminum can waste they produce is picked up weekly by the Bahamian owned company Presto Recycling of Freeport. Presto Recycling in turn compresses the cans and ships them to the U.S. where they are recycled.

The environmental practices of the brewery also benefit the community way beyond waste reduction. Each week, roughly 4 tons of “spent grain” is donated to local farmers. “Spent Grain” is a by-product of the beer brewing industry and can be used as a protein additive in animal feeds. Local farmers arrive daily at the brewery to pick up the “spent grain” that has accumulated from the previous day’s beer brewing cycle. This by-product which would normally be thrown away is helping to feed the island’s livestock and assisting farmers with decreasing their feed costs. Everybody wins.

Relax and enjoy - you are helping the environment.

The brewery also donates all of their clean cardboard waste to local schools for Junkanoo costumes. As pallets of new bottles come in, the cardboard is neatly stacked and stored until the schools need the material. According to assistant brew master Lorenzo Johnson, the demand for this type of cardboard for costumes is greater than the supply, so the brewery is glad to donate what they have. As far as soiled or used cardboard goes, the brewery has now partnered with DAPL Farms. The locally owned company DAPL Farms takes the used cardboard waste from bottles that have been returned and they use it to help maintain moisture in the soil at their farm. The cardboard eventually disintegrates and becomes part of the earth. It doesn’t get much greener than that!

The Bahamian Brewery truly embodies the values and practices that are required for our island’s environmental sustainability, and the positive economic impacts of this successful growing company directly benefit the local community. As the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company grows, so does the number of employees who work at the local Freeport facility. From the cardboard that comes in, to the “spent grain” that goes out, to the bottles being returned,  and all the jobs associated with manufacturing and distributing the product, truly the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company is a role model for our island and our nation.

The next time you sip a Sands, or savor a Strong Back, or Relish a High Rock, or buy a Triple-B, know that you are helping the community and supporting many important environmental initiatives associated with the life cycle of the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage company’s products.

So here’s your green challenge for the week. The next time you’re at your favorite watering hole or just sipping a beer with a neighbor, have some dialogue about the brewery’s practices to spread the good word and get other’s thinking in an environmental capacity. Oh, and when you’re finished enjoying your locally produced liquid refreshment please don’t throw the bottle  in the trash, make sure the bottle finds it’s way back to the brewery.

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About the writer:

Cheri Wood recently retired from Bank of America and has now permanently relocated to Grand Bahama. Her career of over 20 years in corporate America included serving in various capacities including training, marketing, sales, quality control, risk assessment, communications and operational management. While performing her regular job responsibilities, Cheri also served several years as the president of the Environmental Network for the Bank of America in the State of Rhode Island. Her experience in the environmental arena includes project management and coordination of volunteer events on local and national levels throughout the United States. Over the years she has worked closely with organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society, the Rhode Island Rivers’ Council, and in 2010 Cheri was elected as secretary of the GB Branch of the Bahamas National Trust. Serving in her voluntary role with the Bahamas National Trust, Cheri is involved with increasing recycling on the island, promoting green practices with local businesses, educating the community on the importance of preserving the environment, and serving as a resource for those who wish to participate in environmental opportunities on local and international levels.

The Brewery makes Mr. Henderson very happy!

Freeport, Grand Bahama – Thanks to a competition started in 2006, four Grand Bahamians were presented with cheques for $750 each from the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company this week.
Back in September of 2006, the one and only Bahamian Brewery launched its “Name that Beer” competition, allowing Grand Bahamians the opportunity to name the beers that were to be produced at the brewery. At the time James ‘Jimmy’ Sands, CEO of Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Co., said he would reward the winning names for two beers. He closed the competition for entry submissions November 2006 with 3,798 names entered.
The brewery announced the first of the two winning names in late 2006 with “SANDS” chosen as the first beer, with 14 winners. The second name “HIGH ROCK” was chosen, and 2 winners were rewarded with a cash prize in June 2007. Both beers have been tremendously successful, with High Rock receiving the distinguished Monde Selection Gold this May 2010.
“The second beer that we produced here at the brewery was Strong Back, which launched in late 2008 and is our stout beer,” noted Sands. “At the time of the competition our rules stated that all names entered would be property of the Brewery but we agreed that any name used would be rewarded too.”
The Strong Back name was actually entered by four Grand Bahamians who will now split the $3,000 prize, giving them $750 each. The four winners are Elizabeth Sears, Vashti Maycock, Shervonne Knowles and Donald Henderson. “This could not have come at a better time for me,” said Mrs. Maycock, ”I’m building a house and every extra penny makes such a huge difference – I am thrilled and so thankful!”

Strong Back Entries Rewarded with CASH!

Shervonne Knowles, an airport worker, was also excited to win some much-needed money. “It was quite awhile ago when I entered the name. It’s funny, I drink Strong Back but I didn’t remember entering that actual name,” she said. “This will help me pay some of the bills and I am very thankful to the brewery for rewarding me for this!”
The brewery currently produces four beers: Sands, Sands Light, Strong Back and High Rock Larger. The fourth beer product, Sands Light, launched in 2009, was never submitted by any of the competitors in the “Name that Beer” promotion. “This one will have to go to us,” laughed Sands, who has seen his brewery climb from strength to strength.
“It’s thanks to Grand Bahamians that our beer has been accepted and become so very popular throughout The Bahamas,” said CEO Sands. “Now we can all truly say that our only Bahamian Brewery is owned by Bahamians, brewed by Bahamians and named by Bahamians!” Something both he and the island seem very proud of.

Brewery Team Shows off their GOLD!

Freeport, Grand Bahama – The Bahamian Brewery & Beverage team were in HIGH spirits over the July 10th weekend, not just for the Independence celebrations, but also in celebration of their GOLD win from the Monde Selection Committee.

“I’m elated,” said James ‘Jimmy’ Sands, CEO of Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Co., “I knew we could do this! I’m so proud today that Bahamians won a gold.  This is quite an achievement for a small country!  To achieve a gold on our first submission, its fantastic!”

High Rock, which only launched in November of last year, received the prestigious Monde Selection Gold Quality Award in May 2010.  The 49^th World Selections, which tests consumer goods throughout the world, awarded High Rock this rare honour on its first submission.

The Monde Selections have been testing quality products since 1961 and their criteria for testing have been compared to Michelin stars for restaurants worldwide.  The stamp of approval from Monde means you are producing international recognized quality products measured for quality, taste and successful branding.

This year 2,400 products were submitted for testing from over 80 countries and 850 different companies. According to the Monde Selection Committee, products receive points, and depending on the number of points earned, products will receive the according quality award, either a Grand Gold Quality Award, a Gold Quality Award, a Silver Quality Award or the Bronze Quality Award.”

Now, with High Rock’s first gold award, the brewery team has decided to change the beer’s label to incorporate this win. “We have just approved the new label with the gold award on it,” noted Sands. “These new labels will start going on our product in short order and we will use them in our advertising straight away.”

Congrats to the entire Team!

This new symbol of quality has really put a great cap on the success of the High Rock brand, the fourth beer launched by the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company in Grand Bahama.  “This award puts us in line with brewery’s that are both well known and Internationally recognized,” added Sands.  “The gold quality rating shows that our product meets the high standards set by the seven independent experts in the food and beverage field.”

To say that CEO Sands is proud of his staff is a real understatement. “Our Brewmaster, Dieter Stich, Assistant Brewmaster, Lorenzo Johnson, Hazel Springer, the brewery’s Lab Manager and Donny Delahey our Brewery Manager are the real reasons behind the gold award,” he noted. “They are on our line everyday ensuring that each time we brew we match the standards we have set.  Thi

s award shows that what we are brewing here in Grand Bahama is a consistent product that meets the standard of international beers around the world.  My team here has exceeded my expectations!”

The new High Rock bottles will hit the market in the near future and will showcase the Monde Gold seal on all the bottles. The Monde recognition is a highly coveted rating that companies seek to have for their products.  “Grand Bahamians should be really proud today, one of their own products, named by Bahamians and brewed by Bahamians has TRULY succeeded!”

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At a press conference held at the Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Company attorney for the brewery Fred Smith (centre) showed the media the current label and noted that the symbol will change in early 2010. He also recommended that interested persons keep the labels as a souvenir, as it will now become a collectors item. Also pictured are owner and CEO of the brewery James Sands (left) and Bishop Kemp's attorney, Constance Mac Donald. (Photo: Erik J. Russell / Keen i Media Ltd.

FREEPORT, Grand Bahama — At a press conference held at the Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Company Wednesday, December 9th, owner and CEO James “Jimmy” Sands publicly apologized to Bishop Cecil Kemp, who is the owner and builder of the Lighthouse in High Rock, Grand Bahama.  ”When I produced the High Rock (beer) it wasn’t in my wildest dreams that I would cause a ruckus in the community, and I regrettably see that I’ve caused a stir and I truly apologize to Mr. Kemp for putting the lighthouse on the label,” stated Sands to the media. 

With both his attorney and the Minister’s attorney Constance Mac Donald present, the trio explained that they had come to an agreement with the Minister and no compensation had been made to the Bishop.

Attorney Fred Smith noted that the company believed Kemp and McDonald did not have a strong legal argument and they were prepared to defend the matter but his client agreed to change the logo due to his work in the community. “Because we are brewing beer in the community,” said Smith, “it is Mr. Sands’ desire to work with the community.  There are different elements in the community and we really do not wish to cause offense, since it is that not big of a deal for us, and it is a very big deal for Mr. Kemp.  He is part of the community, why cause offence? We don’t want to fight about something that there’s no need to fight about.” 

The lighthouse on the High Rock beers will remain on the product until early next year, allowing the company the time to choose another nautical symbol to place on the beer.

Accepting the apology on behalf of her client, attorney Constance Mac Donald, said at the company had done everything that Bishop Kemp had  requested and she was satisfied with the changes being made.  In closing the press conference, Sands noted when asked, that he seemed disappointed to change the label. “I face more challenges daily than to apologise to someone. Anybody can get into a scrap but I talks a good person to get out of one.”

“Lager beer is one of the most popular beers made in the world,“ said Lynden Johnson, Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Sales and Marketing Manager. “High Rock will be our higher end lager using the method of longer maturation which gives HIGH ROCK a wholesome quality.  Allowing the slow acting yeast to ferment during storage gives it more body – much like a European beer.”

The name of the newest beer to join the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Co. family, HIGH ROCK, was derived from the 2006 competition launched by brewery owner James “Jimmy” Sands.  This unique contest allowed all Grand Bahamians to submit their ideas for “Truly Bahamian” beer names – even before the brewery opened! 

The competition offered contestants a chance to win $3,000 for their ideas.  When the brewery opened “Sands” was the first name chosen and then “High Rock” the second name.  At the time two local ladies had submitted this name, Ethel Bethel and Garnell Frith, and thus won $1,500 each.

High Rock Premium Beer was named after the High Rock Township, a small and hospitable community in the eastern end of Grand Bahama.  “High Rock is a place where you can relax on a Sunday afternoon, while sipping on your favorite cocktail and enjoying the ocean breeze,” noted James “Jimmy” Sands, Bahamian Brewery Owner and President. “As you drive through the area, you are greeted by many locals and feel a sense of community, much like what we are trying to create at our brewery facilities and with our business practices.“

High Rock bellows “Truly Bahamian” from its smooth finish to its original bottle design.  The lighthouse on the label and bottle cap are reminiscent of an out island feel, and there is in fact a lighthouse in the High Rock community.  Its distinctive green bottle is not only a great “green” colour but is also a “green” environmental product as it is recyclable. 

Notably though, for fans waiting for the next great brew, High Rock’s taste is pure and aromatic.  The longer aging process gives it a slightly darker golden colour as well as a wholesome quality.  Brewed with no sugar, it delivers a pure taste with a smooth finish.

Sands noted “I am ecstatic to present yet another beer to The Bahamas. We have had great success with Sands, Sands Light, Strong Back and even our malt-beverage, Triple B.  I am confident that our premium lager will have a similar impact on the market.”

Since opening in late 2007, the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage team has been steadily growing from 14 to now just over 60 employees.  Though all products are produced and bottled in Grand Bahama, the brewery has also expanded its operation into Nassau, opening a capital-based distribution centre at Kelly’s Liquor Store on Wulff Road in April of this year. This new distribution centre and the brewery in Grand Bahama are also the collection points for the brewery’s ongoing recycling of bottles programme.

“With the holiday season approaching, what better way to show our appreciation, to our many loyal distributors,” noted Johnson,” than by introducing the newest Truly Bahamian Premium Beer, High Rock, to them and saying thank you for their continued support of our brands.”       Johnson also released that High Rock  beer will be available for sale on Thursday, November 19^th at Jimmy’s Liquor Store, Bristol Wines and Spirits Freeport and at all Truly Bahamian Liquor stores and restaurants throughout Grand Bahama.

The Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company has always held a special place for keeping it “Truly Bahamian” and is on a mission to make all of its products Bahamian sensations.  “We had great success with the Sands beer launch in late 2007” noted ‘Jimmy’ Sands, “and the local support here in Grand Bahama has been incredible.  I am hoping they will embrace High Rock the same way! So I will launch it here first and then in 2010 take it the rest of The Bahamas.”

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