Cal’s Manufacturing expands
Published:Friday | February 16, 2024 | 12:09 AMAvia Collinder - Business Writer
FOOD MANUFACTURING and packaging company Cal’s Manufacturing Limited, which targets low-cost, high-demand foods and consumer products, has added more operating space as it seeks to increase output to both local and exports markets.
In 2022, the company operated from a 46,000 square-foot facility located at the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) Limited’s Garmex Free Zone in Kingston. That location, management indicates, is preferred for access to logistical support and manufacturing inputs.
The FCJ told the Financial Gleaner this week that in November 2023, Cals added 9,603 square feet in leased space.
“As at February 13, 2024, Cal’s Manufacturing currently occupies 55,603 square feet of space at Garmex Free Zone (five units),” it was noted. The company has progressively increased space utilised, in accordance with its needs.
About 21,000 square feet of space was acquired in 2013, and 9,600 square feet more was added in 2014. In 2017, an additional 7,400 square feet was acquired, and the company has continued its expansion with 8,003 square feet in 2019, and 9,600 square feet in November last year.
The FCJ says that output at Cal’s Manufacturing is “diverse, encompassing items such as ketchup, bag drinks, syrup, canned corned beef, and hot pepper sauce, reflecting the company’s commitment to meeting diverse consumer needs”.
Chairman Lyttleton ‘Tanny’ Shirley commented: “FCJ has witnessed the expansion of Cal’s Manufacturing with a doubling of their rental space within the Garmex Free Zone. This expansion signifies not only the success of Cal’s, but also the role FCJ plays in providing the infrastructure and support necessary for the growth and sustainability of businesses within the manufacturing sector.”
Cal’s CEO and founder Carlton Watson did not comment on the expansion, but in prior reporting he stated that he was eyeing regional expansion.
“As part of the CARICOM group, we have the benefit of being able to access [this market] through regulations. …We have not, in my estimation, exploited that as much as we ought to,” he said in an October 2022 interview with The Gleaner.
In sharing progress in an October 22 company management report, he said that their eyes were on global markets.
The company’s website, meanwhile, outlines Cal’s history. It noted that Watson began working in the manufacturing sector in 1986.
After gaining the exposure, his dream was to start his own business and after 13 years in the industry, he started “something small for himself in his backyard with one bag of sugar and a small mixing tank” to produce Cal’s syrup. The product was sold in the neighbourhood to nearby businesses and post offices, and even from the roof of his car at times.
In 1999, the founder registered the business combining his name, his spouse’s, Annette, and daughter’s, Lisa, to form ‘Cal’s’.
Two years after producing syrup, Cal’s began selling in bulk to wholesalers and retailers, and then on to larger supermarkets and wholesalers, the website outlines. More products, such as lime juice and vinegar, were added over time. Real Vibes wine entered the market in 2007 and was named the Jamaica Manufacturing Association’s “breakthrough product of the year” in 2009. Cal’s Bag Drink debuted in 2008, followed by Cal’s Tomato Ketchup a year later.
The website states, “As Cal’s expands, we are considering adding more manufacturing and distribution to meet the needs of our customers.”
With more products being produced, the company relocated to increase its capacity. The current product line, according to the site, ranges from ketchup to lime juice, vinegar, fruit wine, bag drink, flavoured syrup, Real Vibes party wine, and a distribution line which includes corned beef, mackerel, hot pepper sauce, coconut milk powder, bottled spring water, and Cal’s butter bean and baked beans.
It was also indicated that the company aims to work with local farmers to produce spice blends, jerk sauces, bottled peppers, sauces, and beverages.