From "level the vibes" to being "the coolest beer company", this is Red Stripe. It started out as Desnoes and Geddes Limited, which was the result of an amalgamation of two carbonated drink companies back in 1918. The company grew by leaps and bounds later establishing a brewery to produce Red Stripe beer and Dragon Stout and still later, under franchise agreement, Guinness and Heineken. The year 1993 saw Guinness plc gaining controlling interest of the company with the eventual sale of the soft drink division in 1999 in an effort to focus on its core business, namely that of brewing, blending and distributing beers and stouts. The subsequent merger between Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan in 1999 to form Diageo created the world's leading maker of beers, wines and spirits with labels such as Johnny Walker, Smirnoff, Baileys Irish Cream and others being added.
TARIFF
Not waiting for free market in 2005 and the removal of tariffs on alcohol imported into Jamaica, Red Stripe is busy re-tooling to maintain competitiveness. It strategically sought and received approval for a waiver of taxes on profits as a precondition for a total overhaul of operations so it can match global standards and effectively compete. It recently installed the "Mag 5" bottling line, the fastest in the Caribbean with a capacity of 66,000 bottles per hour producing 60 per cent more product than all its previous bottling lines combined. This is complemented by the requisite training of personnel to create a world class company. New delivery systems have been put in place in Kingston, St. Andrew and parts of St. Catherine that facilitated greater access to customers. To further tap market potential, the product line has been expanded to include Malta, a non alcoholic beverage, Red Stripe Light, exclusively for the Jamaican market, Smirnoff Ice and recently Smirnoff Black Ice.

FINANCIAL RESULTS
Red Stripe's financial results show improvements in 2002 over 2001. Net profit contribution to shareholders increased to $1,503 million from $95 million while earnings per share increased to 53.50 in 2002, up from 33.84 in 2001. The company has made great inroads into its largest export market, the United States, registering growth of 29 per cent. Of interest too is the approval received by the company to remit company taxes payable under Section 8 of the Income Tax Act. As a corporate citizen, Red Stripe continues to impact on the society, from the complete elimination of the use of ozone depleting substances in its plant to the promotion of socially responsible drinking campaigns. Red Stripe's contribution to all aspects of Jamaican life Ð in education, health community development, sports and culture is outstanding. The company also donates products on a monthly basis to all blood donor centres island-wide and has provided free dental services to schoolchildren through mobile dental units for the past ten years.

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