On Monday November 29, his Excellency Raphaël Varga van Kibéd, non-resident Ambassador-designate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Saint Lucia, (His Excellency), made an official visit to Heineken Saint Lucia Ltd.’s brewery facilities in Vieux-Fort.
His Excellency and Honorary Consul Mr. Rhory McNamara were received by Heineken Saint Lucia’s Managing Director Mr. Thibault Mesqui, who provided a history and overview of the company and its contributions to Saint Lucia since its establishment over four decades ago. The delegation was also joined by Mr. Ezra Bernard, Supply Chain Manager at Heineken Saint Lucia for a full tour of the plant, to have provided a deeper scope of the extent of operations and manufacturing capacity of the organization.
“His Excellency, and the Honorary Consul were fascinated by the history of our company, its performance and also our new PET line. They recognized that we have one of the best production facilities in the OECS, given our ability to package RGB, Cans, KEGs and PET under one single roof. They were also intrigued and impressed by the safety standards of our company.” Managing Director Thibault Mesqui commented.
In 1975, the Dutch brewing company HEINEKEN, established its first Brewery in the Caribbean in Saint Lucia as Windward and Leeward Brewery Limited (WLBL) solely producing beer. Fast forward to 2021, the company became Heineken Saint Lucia Ltd. and stands as the largest total beverage manufacturer in Saint Lucia and the Eastern Caribbean, producing high-quality beverages in six categories including Beer, Cider, Malta, Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD), Energy and Water.
Despite its Dutch origins, Heineken Saint Lucia Ltd has cemented its place in the fabric of Saint Lucian life and at its core, continues to embolden a passion for quality, care for people and the planet, and bringing enjoyment to life through its brands.
