St. Vincent Distillers | 7
ment believed that by erecting a new sugar
factory on the site of the old estate it could
help to revive the stagnating economy. But
with the island’s economy shifting to banan-
as, the sugar factory was never profitable and
was forced to close in 1985.
The distillery was then faced with the
increased costs of importing molasses, and,
by 1996, the government had enough of the
rum business and sold the distillery to C.K.
Greaves & Co., the island’s preeminent su-
permarket chain. It turned the operation of
the distillery over to Kenrick Greaves, who
had recently returned to St. Vincent after 24
years working in Australia.
The Greaves – Kenrick’s wife, Phillippa,
is marketing manager – overhauled the dis-
tillery. They purchased a bottling machine
to automate a process that was previously
done by hand. They replaced aging vats and
pumping equipment and secured contacts in
Guyana for a steady source of molasses. They
rehired many experienced staff that had been
laid off by the government and they land-
scaped the buildings and grounds to make
the distillery an attraction for tourists. Most
importantly, they established SVDL’s pres-
ence overseas, particularly for its aged dark
rum, and rebranded two of the distillery’s
previously lackluster products.
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
St. Vincent Distillers Ltd.
WHAT:
Rum production, bottling and
distribution
WHERE:
Kingstown, St. Vincent
WEBSITE:
