WISYNCO’S New Brewery and Manufacturing Plant a Vote of Confidence in Jamaica
By: , January 14, 2026
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre), looks at the contents of one of Wisynco Group Limited’s beer products being pointed out by the company's Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Mahfood (right), during a tour of the company’s newly opened brewery and manufacturing facility in Lakes Pen, St. Catherine, on January 13. Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Delano Seiveright (left), and State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, were also on the tour.The Full Story
State Minister for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Delano Seiveright, says the establishment of a new Brewery and Manufacturing Facility by Wisynco Group is a strong endorsement of Jamaica’s manufacturing future and the country’s broader economic direction.
Speaking with JIS News following the official opening of the US$35-million state-of-the-art plant in Lakes Pen, St. Catherine on Tuesday (January 13), Mr. Seiveright said the investment is a strong vote of confidence in Jamaica’s manufacturing future.
“It signals that despite global uncertainty, Jamaica remains a competitive, investable location for modern, high-value manufacturing,” he noted.
“This facility reflects exactly the direction we are pushing – technology-driven, efficient, export-ready production, anchored by Jamaican companies with deep local roots like the Mahfood family, who continue to reinvest and scale at home,” he added.
“It also reinforces the broader economic momentum under Prime Minister Andrew Holness, with the economy growing at 5.1 per cent in the September 2025 quarter, faster than initially estimated, before Hurricane Melissa. That kind of growth does not happen by accident; it is built on confidence, policy stability and private-sector action like this,” he noted further.
The State Minister underscored the importance of public-private partnerships in advancing industrial development.
He noted that the Government’s role, led by the Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, is to create the enabling environment, stable macroeconomic policy, targeted incentives, improved logistics, skills development and reduce red tape, while the private sector, in turn, brings capital, innovation, speed and market intelligence.
“When both sides move in alignment, we unlock scale, productivity and export growth,” Mr. Seiveright pointed out.
He highlighted Wisynco as “a textbook example” of a Jamaican company driving national industrial progress through long-term vision and policy support, through the Government’s Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA) regime.
The ACA allows qualifying capital investments made between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2026 to be written off more quickly. This improves cash flow, lowers the effective cost of investment, and encourages forward-looking expansion in the productive sector, Mr. Seiveright pointed out.
“For St. Catherine, the impact will be tangible jobs, skills development, stronger supply chains, and increased commercial activity. Manufacturing facilities like this anchor communities, support logistics and distribution networks, and create long-term, stable employment,” he pointed out.
At the national level, the benefits include higher output, stronger exports, improved food and beverage security, and deeper industrial resilience.
“This is how Jamaica sustains growth, even in the face of shocks like Hurricane Melissa, by building a strong productive base, led by companies such as Wisynco and families like the Mahfoods, working in partnership with a pro-growth Government,” he told JIS News.
