CONTACT Magazine (Vol.18 No.3 – December 2018)
The third issue of the rebranded CONTACT Magazine — with a brand new editorial and design direction — produced by MEP Publishers for the Trinidad & Tobago Chamber of Industry & Commerce
The third issue of the rebranded CONTACT Magazine — with a brand new editorial and design direction — produced by MEP Publishers for the Trinidad & Tobago Chamber of Industry & Commerce
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looking outwards<br />
A new generation took over<br />
the business and revived both<br />
the founder’s vision and the<br />
company’s fortunes<br />
Red Spot in glass bottles. The company’s<br />
fortunes dipped somewhat from the<br />
late 1960s, and Sheik Mohammed Jaleel<br />
died in 1977, after selling the business<br />
to Shaffikool Mohammed, the husband<br />
of his daughter Salaha.<br />
So a new generation took over the<br />
business and revived both the founder’s<br />
vision and the company’s fortunes.<br />
Aleem Mohammed, Jaleel’s grandson,<br />
joined the company and rose to<br />
become chairman. The business moved<br />
to Otaheite Industrial Estate, where it is<br />
still headquartered today. New products<br />
were introduced <strong>–</strong> Pear D, Cole Cold,<br />
Fruta, the large bottle, Caribbean Cool.<br />
The company earned franchises from<br />
well-known international companies <strong>–</strong><br />
7-UP, Capri Sun, Cadbury Schweppes.<br />
By 1988, market share had grown to<br />
30%.<br />
The first export shipments had<br />
been made from Trinidad and Tobago in<br />
1983. The main export markets were the<br />
UK, the USA, Canada, Jamaica, Antigua,<br />
Dominica, and Barbados. SM Jaleel<br />
began awarding its own franchises:<br />
third party manufacturers produced<br />
and distributed the Caribbean Cool<br />
brand, for instance, in Canada, the USA,<br />
England, Scotland and Malaysia.<br />
The business grew and grew. It<br />
continued to produce new brands,<br />
notably Chubby (1993) in its specially<br />
designed chubby bottle aimed at<br />
children. The company started winning<br />
awards for exports and innovation.<br />
Busta followed, and Viva flavoured<br />
sparkling water. With the help of<br />
subsidiaries, joint ventures and<br />
franchisees, SM Jaleel was doing good<br />
business everywhere from Barbados,<br />
Jamaica and Guyana to Haiti, Mexico<br />
and Brazil, Guatemala and North<br />
America.<br />
As the brand list continued to<br />
swell, the company added Fruta Kool<br />
Kidz, Oasis bottled water, Caribbean<br />
Cool drinks, 1-litre Fruta, and Turbo<br />
energy drinks. It acquired the franchise<br />
for Tampico. It set up a plant in Saudi<br />
Arabia to export to the Middle East, and<br />
another in Durban to market Chubby in<br />
South Africa. It acquired fruit juice<br />
concentrate manufacturing companies<br />
in Trinidad and Jamaica, adding Trinidad<br />
Reconstituted juices and Juciful juices<br />
to the portfolio. These factories allowed<br />
10<br />
Trinidad<br />
and Tobago Chamber<br />
of Industry and Commerce<br />
www.chamber.org.tt/contact-magazine
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