Red Stripe Grandstand | Beer excitement at Jamaica House Rio

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

The carnival-like atmosphere at Jamaica House Rio, being staged in the upscale Prado Restaurant, is expected to intensify this week with live music and major reggae acts gracing the space.

Organised by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Jamaica House Rio opened on August 10 and has so far welcomed hundreds of patrons and VIP guests, including Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the Red Stripe GO for GOLD grand-prize winners.

The group of Jamaican beer lovers, led by Red Stripe Assistant Brand Manager Reshima Kelly, fully enjoyed the vibe and were all too excited to rub shoulders with the prime minister, Minister of Culture Olivia Grange, and other local dignitaries.

"This has been a remarkable experience so far. Jamaica is a melting pot of culture for people of all ethnicities, and for me, a Chinese national and resident of Jamaica, to be here and experience this, is beyond my wildest dreams," said Feng Chen, one of the six Red Stripe customers who won an all-expenses-paid trip to Brazil.

As consummate ambassadors for Brand Jamaica, the group invited Anna Maloney, an official from the Office of the Mayor of London, to join them at the venue for an introduction to all things Jamaican.

"It's a funny story. We were out sightseeing, decked out in our Jamaican colours, when we ran into Ms Maloney. So I invited her to come with us to Jamaica House Rio and now she's here enjoying the Great Jamaican Beer," said Ernie Muir, Red Stripe commercial executive.

"It is an exciting time for Brand Jamaica, and to have the iconic Red Stripe Beer be a part of this truly historic experience is beyond anything we imagined," added Muir.

Jamaica House Rio features an eclectic mix of key cultural assets, including Jamaican cuisine, music and iconic products, such as Red Stripe Beer. Using the success of Jamaican athletes as a backdrop, the JTB hopes to leverage the goodwill towards Brand Jamaica and position the destination as an option for the largely untapped tourist market in the South American city.