Banks Distribution Ltd.
Barbados Bottling Co. Ltd.
- About
- History
- Leadership
- Awards
- Contact
For over 70 years, Barbados Bottling Company Ltd. (BBC), the soft drink manufacturer within the Banks Holdings Ltd. (BHL) group, has been pleasing consumers far and wide with its popular range of flavourful beverages.
The Barbados Bottling Company Ltd. (BBC) is the local franchise holder for international brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Zero, POWERade, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Fanta, Canada Dry and Schweppes Tonic Water. It is also renowned for indigenous beverages led by the popular FRUTEE brand.
Incredible Creativity
The Barbados Bottling Company Ltd. was registered on November 14th, 1944 with production commencing the following year. Unlike other Caribbean islands where U.S. armed forces were based and Coca-Cola was the norm, the beverage was only introduced to Barbados in 1945. When it came on the scene its local manufacturer, the Barbados Bottling Company Ltd. (BBC) demonstrated incredible creativity, and commitment to quality which quickly placed the company among regional front runners – a position it maintains today. Mssrs. Noel Hunte and Bob King were responsible for establishing BBC and maintaining its success up to the time of its sale to Banks Holdings Limited (BHL) in 1991.
Original Products
Originally located at Roebuck Street, in addition to Coca-Cola, BBC's early products included Soda Water, Ginger Ale and Orange. Five years later and after a number of land purchases and expansions, a new production plant was opened which enabled BBC to expand its product range.
In 1960 original flavours including Grape FRUTEE and Red FRUTEE were introduced to the market – the latter developed and blended by Mr. Hunte himself. Today Red FRUTEE remains the most popular flavour in this brand.
In 1962, BBC became the first bottling plant to introduce Post-mix drinks in cylinders. It also obtained the Schweppes franchise for Tonic Water and Bitter Lemon and soon launched Sprite, through another Coca-Cola franchise.
New Headquarters
In 1992, after its BHL acquisition, operations were relocated to new headquarters at Newton Christ Church. This saw the commencement of the half litre glass and 16 oz. PET lines. In October 2003 glass was discontinued and a complete transition to PET was made. The following year the Company commissioned new filling equipment technology as BBC continued its trend setting history.
Mr. Nigel Lobo
Sales Manager
Sales Manager
Mr. Nigel Lobo has been working with Banks Beer since 2007 when he embarked upon the challenge of introducing the beer into the United States Market. After completing his BBA in Marketing from the Florida Atlantic University, Mr. Lobo went on to enjoy a career in the beverage industry for almost 20 years, having worked with major beverage corporations in Trinidad & Tobago Bahamas, Atlanta and Tampa. Mr. Lobo joined the Banks Distribution Limited team in 2012 when he assumed the position of Sales Manager. Ever the consummate salesman, Mr. Lobo is always exploring new ways to expand the sales of the BHL portfolio.
BBC continues to strive for excellence in every area of its operations with heavy emphasis on maintaining quality standards and it is this commitment to excellence which has enabled BBC to secure a number of ISO certifications.
In 2010, BBC became the first company globally to achieve ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22001 and OHSAS 18001 certification at the same time.
ISO 9001 - Quality Management
ISO 14001 - Environmental Management
FSSC 22000 - Food Safety Management
OHSAS 18001 - Occupational Health & Safety Management
Regionally, BBC also has an impressive record having won the prestigious Coca-Cola Pemberton Quality Award for the Caribbean Region on three occasions. In 2002 and 2003, BBC achieved consecutive victories and in 2006 the company was again victorious beating a field of 18 entrants.
In 2012, BBC won the inaugural TradeKo Coca-Cola Regional Sales Race and bore the designation Best Caribbean Supplier for that year.
Locally and in its most recent achievement, BBC received the Gold award in the Labour Department’s (ACTION) programme for health and safety.
Newton, Christ Church, Barbados. West Indies.
Tel: (246) 418-3300 (Administration)
Tel: (246) 227-6700 (Marketing)
Fax: (246) 418-3350 (Administration)
Fax: (246) 227-6729 (Marketing)
Customer Service:
customerservice@thebhlgroup.com
