CARIBBEAN Producers Jamaica Limited (CPJ) has inked a deal to become the main distributor for Jamaica Beverages Limited’s chilled beverage portfolio.

The publicly listed company will start distribution of products, such as Chubby, Juciful and Fruta, across seven parishes in western Jamaica in its first phase.

“This is an important relationship for us as it broadens our portfolio and allows us to gain an immediate competitive position in the chilled beverage market,” said David Lowe, CPJ’s chief revenue officer. “We also feel that the brands are not only of high quality, with a relevant mix of products, but has a strong consumer loyalty which gives us a solid platform to build into wider distribution and market share.”

For Jamaica Beverages, the partnership gives it access to western Jamaica through a company which has “the best at cold chain logistics and the best reach” in that section of the island, according to Xesus Johnston, general manager of the beverage maker, which brands also include Cool Runnings and Busta.

Jamaica Beverages has been operating in Jamaica for over 13 years as a distributor, and went into production two years ago when it acquired Bog Walk-based juice plant from the Jamaica Citrus Growers (JCG) plant.

CPJ has its own juice plant, along with an egg processing facility and a meat processing plant.

“The strategy has been to be proactive and seek opportunities to diversify into sustainable revenue streams that are profitable growth creating opportunities,” said Lowe. “We are focused on finding the best fit to meet our objectives and feel that this relationship has strong potential.”

This deal is expected to complement the strength of each organisation to maximise the potential for increasing its stake in the estimated $20.5 billion market.

CPJ is a Montego Bay-based company that started operations in 1994.

It was listed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) in 2011.