The St Vincent Brewery Limited continues to be a driving force in the economy of St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as a major contributor to the cultural aspects of the island.

The company this year held its own during the 2015 Carnival season and as a result, made a tremendous contribution to all the areas of Vincy Mas.{{more}}

According to operations sales and marketing manager at the Brewery Shafia London-Williams, “Hairoun beer is truly the beer of Vincy Carnival. This year, as Hairoun celebrates its 30th year as a national brand and the beer of choice of Vincentians, the Brewery and Hairoun have once again made a worthwhile contribution to Carnival 2015.”

Speaking on Wednesday, London-Williams noted that the Brewery’s contribution started with the direct sponsorship of rural Carnivals with a combination of cash and products.

“We also made great financial contributions to the CDC and all the components of Carnival,” stressed London-Williams.

During the Carnival season, the Brewery extended its generous hand to rural Carnival activities in Central Leeward, South Leeward, North Leeward, North Windward, Owia, and Bequia. For the first time ever, Carnival activities were held in Sion Hill and Redemption Sharpes and the Brewery was there to assist.

“The Brewery also assisted the various mas bands that operate during Vincy Mas and this helped a number of them to reach heights they have never reached before. We respect and appreciate the men and women who come out every year and help to make Vincy Mas possible, so we decided this year to help all the Mas Bands we could,” said London-Williams.

Receiving support from the Brewery were the Ahdrenalin Mas Band, Beautex International, Dragons Mas Band, High Voltage Mas Band, Melbourne Artisans, My Imagination, Owen Ralph, SVG Players International, Tribes, Extreme Fanatics and Lynx Mas Band.

Guinness Y De Lima Hitz FM 103.7 FM Blondie Bird & Friends was second in the Band of the Year title with ‘Illusion Never See Come See;’ SVG Players International Mas Band was third with ‘Masquerade’. Fourth place went to High Voltage Mas Production with ‘Candy World.

Ahdrenalin had their highest placement ever in the Winston Samuel Band of the Year competition at fifth place with ‘An Eastern Travelogue,’ while they also won the King of the Bands competition.

London-Williams said that the Brewery also lent support to a number of private promoters and private events.

“We realized that persons love these private events and that these events make up a huge part of Carnival activities, so we wanted to be on board with as much of them as possible, so we helped those that approached us and even approached some to give our assistance,” said London-Williams.

Among the events that received the Brewery’s input were: Soca Swing, Soca on the Beach, White on the Dock, Bucket Fete, Slippery When Wet, Wet Fete, Dirty Sexy Soca, Sunrise. A number of artistes who were chosen to compete in the Soca Monarch finals also received help from the Brewery.

Although the Brewery had their own Monday T-Shirt band, the company saw it fit to assist other bands, including The Network and Island Network Inc. The Brewery’s own Monday band attracted hundreds of Vincentians, who feted to the live songs from some of the biggest local artistes, including Hypa 4000, Fya Empress, Mad Skull, Mylo, Dr P, Ozarie. Entertainment also came from disc jockeys like DJ Taurus, Simple Sounds, DJ Diego and DJ Kal, while international soca artiste Benjai also made an appearance.

“We are certain that our Monday revellers had a lot of fun and we are glad that we were able to provide top class entertainment to them. We will be even bigger and better next year,” promised London-Williams, who revealed that the Monday band provided entertainment with three trucks.

The Brewery also gave support to the J’Ouvert bands RJR and J’Ouvert Village, the On-tour Calypso tent and the Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra. Sion Hill was second in the National Panorama Competition.

“We see ourselves as an enabler, so we feel compelled to support local culture among many other aspects of the communities in which we operate,” stressed London-Williams, adding that the Brewery will do everything in its power to make sure that future Vincy Mas celebrations are a success.

This year marks 30 years since the St Vincent Brewery Limited has been operating in St Vincent and the Grenadines.