A mixed mood of relief, resilience and rejoicing enveloped an event on Monday night to launch Angostura's new retail outlet, Solera, at Albion Plaza, Victoria Avenue, Port of Spain.
The shop features products made in TT, such as rum and bitters, plus imported products such as wines and vodkas.
Angostura CEO Terrence Bharath, SC, recounted how the company's dedicated employees and firefighters had pulled together to help save the company's assets during last Friday's unexpected blaze at its Laventille plant, touching on the themes of relief and resilience.
Recalling members of the public constantly asking if the company had enough stocks for upcoming festive periods, he declared, "Yes, we getting rum for Carnival and Christmas."
He reiterated the company's previous statement that the fire had not involved the main rum production area, but just one of the botanical storage areas for bitters production.
On a theme of rejoicing, Bharath said next January Angostura would launch its products on a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, which Newsday understands enters service in the new year and can accommodate 7,600 passengers and 2,500 crew members.
He said product entry to a cruise ship had been his dream, and now represented a gain for Angostura.
Bharath also welcomed the relocation of the Solera store to its new site.
Angostura CEO Laurent Schun said the store also represented a new look. He said it offered spirits from all over the world, including wines from Chile, Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, New Zealand, and California, plus whiskies, Champagnes, vodkas and gins.
He said Angostura was seeking to expand its retail-shop presence from Port of Spain and Marabella to new areas in south, central and east Trinidad. Angostura also has a retail outlet at its manufacturing plant in Laventille.
"We want to make Solera not only the best but also the most available wine and liquor store on the island."
He dubbed the Solera shop "a symphony for the senses."
While announcing the new shop, Schun also invited potential clients to use the company's online platform to do their shopping.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert half-jokingly queried information on the company he has received. Recalling a 34 per cent hike in business in North America and Europe, he said has was not sure how true these figures were and wondered if a decimal point was missing. He said Solera provided one per cent of Angostura's revenue.
The minister said one of the few products that did well during the pandemic was Angostura. While saying he usually has 120 companies in TT to worry about, Imbert said one company he need not worry about was Angostura.
"They don't make bacchanal. They don't make the make the news. They only make profit."
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