Kingston, Jamaica — Seprod Limited is tightening its grip on the Caribbean, recalibrating its strategy to turn geopolitical headwinds into regional dominance. As global tariffs disrupt trade norms, the manufacturing giant is doubling down on markets that offer speed, scale, and stability—right in its backyard.
At the company’s recent annual general meeting, Chairman Paul “PB” Scott acknowledged the complexities introduced by shifting U.S. trade policies but remained resolute in Seprod’s regional focus. Rather than retreat from the American market, Scott signaled an acceleration of Seprod’s long-brewing strategy: solidify distribution power across CARICOM and lean into regional demand where margin pressures are less severe and logistical coordination is more controllable.
“This isn’t about chasing quarterly wins,” Scott told shareholders. “It’s about embedding ourselves into the economic bloodstream of the Caribbean.”
Turning Tariffs Into a Catalyst
A 10% duty on certain exports—particularly biscuits—has shaken long-standing trade privileges once guaranteed under duty-free frameworks. But for Seprod, the disruption isn’t a setback. It’s confirmation. Confirmation that the company’s regional pivot, years in the making, is not just defensive—it’s prescient.
The acquisition of AS Bryden in 2022 was the lynchpin. With operations stretching across Trinidad, Barbados, St Lucia, and Suriname, Bryden provided Seprod with a skeleton key to unlock regional distribution at scale. Earlier this year, Seprod increased its stake to 80%, consolidating command and eliminating friction in pricing, inventory movement, and last-mile execution.
From Warehouses to Command Centers
Seprod’s infrastructure buildout—once mistaken for simple warehousing—is now revealing itself as a network of Caribbean command centers. In Trinidad, a consolidated logistics facility hums at full capacity. In Guyana, a new hub is under construction. And in Kingston, a state-of-the-art distribution center is already transforming throughput and efficiency.
“These aren’t storage units,” CEO Richard Pandohie noted. “They’re launchpads.”
The upgraded juice facility in Kingston is another cornerstone. With prior bottlenecks now resolved, Seprod is running extended production cycles with leaner per-unit costs—critical for export pricing flexibility.
Category Resilience and Brand Insulation
While biscuits are under pressure, Seprod’s beverage portfolio is holding its ground. Flagship brands like Supligen continue to benefit from brand loyalty and deeper consumer entrenchment. Compared to the commoditized biscuit shelf, beverages appear to possess stronger insulation from price elasticity and tariff-induced volatility.
Still, Scott views the entire Caribbean region as Seprod’s “domestic” market. Every facility, every hub, and every brand is being optimized to flow across island borders as seamlessly as possible—tariff-free and fully under Seprod’s logistical control.
Numbers That Point to Intent
In 2024, Seprod recorded $133.6 billion in revenue, a 19% surge year-on-year, marking a decade-long trajectory from $11.9 billion in 2014. Export sales reached $5.3 billion—nearly tenfold growth in under ten years. But profit told a different story. A 27% drop to $3.32 billion, largely driven by the capital costs of regional expansion, shows the company is willingly absorbing short-term compression for long-term control.
That trend continued into Q1 2025. Revenues climbed 32% to $37.7 billion, while profit slipped to $867 million, constrained by rising debt-servicing costs tied to the group’s investment-heavy stance.
Yet the executive tone remains bullish.
The Billion-Dollar Blueprint
By 2026, Seprod intends to cross the US$1-billion revenue mark—a target Scott declared “inevitable” given current scale and regional coverage. With 4,500 employees and a logistics backbone stretching from Kingston to Paramaribo, the company is morphing into more than a manufacturer—it’s becoming a Caribbean trade architecture.
Internally, redundancies are being eradicated. The integration of CPJ under Bryden’s umbrella is streamlining operations, while tech upgrades across facilities are expected to drive additional cost efficiency and intelligence at every node in the supply chain.
Conclusion
Seprod isn’t waiting for global trade frameworks to stabilize. It’s rewriting the playbook. With a combination of M&A precision, infrastructure muscle, and deep regional integration, the company is emerging as one of the few Jamaican-headquartered enterprises with real-time control over Caribbean-wide commerce.
In a world where borders are hardening, Seprod’s strategy is clear: build bridges where others see walls—and own the road underneath.
