Wisynco rolling out Legend beer products, Mamba stout in spirited push for revenue growth
Published:Wednesday | November 19, 2025 | 12:07 AMNeville Graham/Business Reporter
Wisynco Group Limited is currently betting on beer to help drive top line growth.
At the heart of the push is Legend Beer, the company’s flagship brew, which Chairman William Mahfood says is already on shelves in canned and bottled formats.
The move comes after two sluggish quarters, with Mahfood noting that in the current financial year, the first quarter, July-September 2025, shows “a return to growth” even as the company foresees headwinds in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
First quarter revenue rose from $14.6 billion to $16.2 billion, while profit dipped slightly from $1.5 billion to $1.48 billion, year on year.
“We were basically flat in profit on a year-over-year basis with a slight growth in revenue,” Mahfood told the Financial Gleaner, adding that the performance in the September quarter compares favourably with peers facing revenue and profit declines.
Legend Beer comes in different variations. Wisynco is rolling out a lager, a dark lager, and will soon introduce a stout under the brand name Mamba. The company is also diversifying into flavoured variants, including cola champagne, cranberry, ginger, and lemon-lime, tailored to Jamaican tastes. Mahfood describes Legend as “100 per cent locally manufactured” with a flavour profile designed for the island palate.
Complementing Legend is M-Powa Malt, and soon-to-launch Mamba Premium Stout, which Mahfood says will hit the market in coming weeks. These innovations are part of Wisynco’s strategy to leverage its new beverage production line, called Business Unit 3 or BU3, which was part of a $7 billion expansion and retooling programme recently concluded by Wisynco.
MORE THAN BEER
Wisynco’s activities in the alcohol market aren’t limited to beer. The company recently acquired bottling equipment from Select Brands, through a new partnership, enabling production of Stone’s Ginger Wine at its Lakes Pen facility in St Catherine.
The machinery is already operational, marking Wisynco’s entry into the spirits segment of the market. “We carved out space for it at Lakes Pen,” Mahfood said of the installation.
Wisynco’s latest annual report underscores this innovation drive. The report highlights a pipeline of new products, including ready-to-drink rum-based beverages under the Worthy Park brand, alongside the beer portfolio. These products have added new streams to the company’s beverage revenues beyond its traditional soft drinks, water and flavoured water.
Despite the optimism, Wisynco’s first quarter results reveal margin pressures. Revenue grew modestly, but cost of sales surged by over 22 per cent, squeezing gross profit growth. Mahfood attributes this to inflationary pressures from higher labour costs following minimum wage hikes, increased energy and raw material expenses, and the lag between investment and revenue realisation.
“We have the expenses but we don’t have the revenue yet,” he explained, pointing to the brewery operations that are “just starting to get going”.
The chairman remains “cautiously optimistic”, projecting that as new products scale, margins will improve.
“In the next couple of months, as we roll out stout, rum-based drinks, and beer varieties, we expect a significant impact on both gross profit and revenue,” Mahfood said.
Wisynco also expanded its distribution portfolio in the period under review, taking on Lucozade and products from the Trinidad Coconut Growers Association, including coconut oil. While these businesses carry lower margins than locally manufactured goods, they contribute to revenue diversification, Mahfood argued.
Post-quarter, Hurricane Melissa, which hit Jamaica on October 28, disrupted operations and tempered marketing plans, leading to just a “soft launch” for Mamba Stout.
Wisynco stepped up relief efforts, donating 10,000 cases of water – about 240,000 bottles – to Food for the Poor for distribution in storm-affected communities.
Mahfood expects short-term hurricane-related bumps but sees long-term upsides.
“We’re firing on all cylinders now,” he said. “Production is ramping up every day,” he added.