SM Jaleel & Company Ltd, also known as SMJ, is the largest manufacturer of non alcoholic drinks in the English speaking Caribbean. Since inception in 1924 their portfolio of

beverages A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothies ...

are distributed to over 60 countries worldwide.

Business Segment

SMJ’s products include a wide array of soft drinks,

fruit juices Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...

, purified and flavoured water, energy drinks, and other fruit flavoured beverages. SMJ's

blow molding Blow molding (or moulding) is a manufacturing process for forming hollow plastic parts. It is also used for forming glass bottles or other hollow shapes. In general, there are three main types of blow molding: extrusion blow molding, injectio ...

facility is the largest in the Caribbean where they manufacture their own

PET bottles Although PET is used in several applications, (principally textile fibres for apparel and upholstery, bottles and other rigid packaging, flexible packaging and electrical and electronic goods), as of 2022 only bottles are collected at a substa ...

in different shapes and sizes for their numerous products. The company was also the first in the world, in conjunction with

Reynolds Metals Company Reynolds Group Holdings is a New Zealand based packaging company with roots in the former Reynolds Metals Company, which was the second-largest aluminum company in the United States, and the third-largest in the world. Reynolds Metals was acquire ...

, to fill fruit juices in aluminum cans using

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

technology in the 1980s, thus eliminating the need for artificial preservatives in the product. Currently, SMJ’s products are found in over half a million wholesale and retail stores worldwide, including

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

and other international retailers. The company has more than 2000 employees in five continents.

History

S.M. Jaleel was founded in 1924 by Sheik Mohameed Jaleel, and was located at the corner of Keate and Prince Alfred Streets in San Fernando,

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

with a 25 member staff. History and Timeline Locations SM Jaleel's headquarters reside at the Otaheite Industrial Estate in South Oropouche, Trinidad and Tobago. There are subsidiary offices in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

, Suriname, Guyana,

St. Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerin ...

, South Africa and Asia.

Products Manufactured and Distributed by SMJ

Juices & Juice Drinks

* Fruta * Fruta Kool Kidz * Caribbean Cool * Trinidad Juices * Tampico * Trinidad Fresh Carbonated soft drinks * American Classic * Busta * Chubby * Cole Cold * Seagrams Water * Cool Runnings * Island Mist * Mt. Pelier * Oasis * Viva Energy drinks * Turbo Energy Drink Isotonic drinks * Altitude Iced teas * Island Fusion

Consideration for the Environment

* Approximately 10% of all virgin (rejected) bottles before being filled are sterilized and re-injected into the line. * Re-use of the liners that come with the pallets of empty cans, for lining the sugar pallets, and the stacked finished product. * Collection of wasted water in special pipe lines to re-use for cooling equipment on the plant. * Since 2004 SMJ has been making PET bottles lighter in weight by using less material in its composition to create less post consumer waste. * Sale of all post industrial material (returned bottles, cans and plastic), cardboard, pallets and metal drums to

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

companies. * Use of shredding machines both in Barbados, which shred returned plastic (PET) bottles (post consumption). The shredded plastic is packed in sacks and exported to international recycling companies. The PET flakes are used by these companies to make various things like carpeting, wall insulation, and polyester T-shirts. * Purchase of large quantities of oranges and grapefruit from local farmers for use in the freshly squeezed juice products (for Trinidad Juices - Not from concentrate). The peel from these fruits are processed to make animal feed.

References

{{Reflist Drink companies of Trinidad and Tobago Brands of Trinidad and Tobago