DDL opens US$3M juice factory
Farmers expected to provide up to $300M in produce
By Johann Earle
Stabroek News
June 27, 2003

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Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) yesterday afternoon commissioned a brand new juice factory at Diamond, East Bank Demerara with the potential to process $300M in fruit by next year.

The factory will be packaging ‘Topco’ brand juices which will be marketed locally and within the region. Distributors in Barbados have already been lined up.

The new facility has a capacity of 250 cases per hour with each case containing 24 juice packs. This product is already known on the Guyanese market although this new line involves improved packaging.

Komal Samaroo, the company’s Managing Director said the factory had cost US$3M and also remarked on how quickly the project plans had been processed by the Guyana Office for Investment.

Construction started last August and it was finally completed this month.

He said Topco has formed links with the Institute of Private Enterprise Develop-ment (IPED) to help farmers with financial assistance to keep up with the expected increase in demand for their fruit.

The plant produces cherry and passion fruit flavours with additional flavours coming on stream in a few weeks.

It will be using fruit pulp from DDL’s operations at Timehri.

The packaging was designed to be appealing to all age ranges with schoolchildren kept in mind. He said the product was reasonably priced with a recommended price for the 200ml package of $60. For one week there will be a special introductory price of $50. One- litre boxes of juice will be available in a matter of weeks, Samaroo added.

Antonius Raghubansie, DDL’s Marketing Manager, during a tour of the facility, told Stabroek News that the plant had been certified ISO 9002, an international benchmark, and that it conformed to all the requirements of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and the Food and Drugs Department of the Government Analyst. The plant uses a pasteurisation process to kill any bacteria.

Ten years ago, DDL took over the Topco operation which was a cottage industry started by Geoffrey Murray, who, in the late 70’s had left his post at the Civil Aviation Department to start the fruit processing business.

President Bharrat Jagdeo, in delivering the feature address, acknowledged the leadership role, DDL had taken in moving from a one-product company to one of the largest companies in Guyana. He declared that the company was now in the forefront of embracing the new global marketplace.

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