LAUNCHED 100 years ago from its founder's home, with deliveries done by horse-and-cart, SM Jaleel is now a global exporter, hailed Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon. She was addressing the company's long-service awards function at Banquet Hall, San Fernando, on October 12, whose guests included chairman Dr Aleem Mohammed and chief operating officer Anna Mohammed.
Gopee-Scoon hailed the company's "century of excellence, innovation, and unwavering dedication to community and country."
She said the centennial was a testament to family, foresight and fortitude. "From humble beginnings to a modern enterprise that boasts a truly global reach, SM Jaleel has showcased the strength of the company’s innovation and industry on the world stage."
The minister said the company's remarkable story began in 1924, when a young visionary, Sheik Mohammed Jaleel, left his father-in-law’s aerated and bottling works factory in San Fernando, to start his own company at home, with just 25 employees. She hailed Sheik Jaleel’s vision and plan, strength of will, and spirituality and faith.
"Over the decades, SM Jaleel grew and matured as it catered to new tastes and attitudes in the post-war and post-independence era."
Gopee-Scoon said the company made Red Spot drinks in the 1930s-1960s and Fruta juice drinks in the 1980s and 1990s.
"During this time (1980s-1990s), the company forged partnerships to manufacture and distribute brands like 7UP, PepsiCo and Schweppes."
SM Jaleel gained the capacity, expertise and reputation to cater for international brands.
By the 1990s, SM Jaleel expanded internationally, by joint ventures in Canada, Barbados, and Guyana.
"In the 2000s, the company continued to innovate, launching products like the Oasis Water and Turbo Energy Drinks, while also establishing a presence in South Africa and acquiring the Trinidad Juice Company." Despite local and foreign competition, SM Jaleel adapted and endured, to provide what consumers wanted, the minister said.
"Today, SM Jaleel directly employs over 1,500 people in TT and across its global operations, and provides countless other indirect jobs to those who deliver the goods and services that support this thriving ecosystem."
Gopee-Scoon said SM Jaleel has contributed greatly to TT's economy, particularly the manufacturing sector, a key driver of economic growth.
The minister largely attributed the past decade of remarkable growth in TT's non-energy manufacturing to the food and beverage sub-sector.
"Between 2015 and 2023, food and beverage exports grew by 49 per cent, from $2.1 billion to $3.2 billion, with non alcoholic beverage exports rising by $188 million over that period. "SM Jaleel is one of the largest non-oil exporters, accounting for 12 per cent of the country’s food and beverage exports in 2023."
She said SM Jaleel now exports to over 65 countries. Of these, the top five destinations were Jamaica, Guyana, Suriname, Barbados and St Lucia in that order, all of which account for over 80 percent of the company’s total exp
