October Opening For Fiji Vailima

Vailima will begin operations in Fiji in the next three months, general manager and chief brewer for Paradise Beverages Fiji Limited, Michael Spencer, says.

The move was deemed feasible for the continuity of the company’s operations, Mr Spencer said.

“Our preference is for Vailima to be brewed in Samoa,” he said.

Vailima Beverages.

However, none of the options were commercially viable, he said. “We have the utmost respect for the Vailima brand, and want to keep the Vailima brand alive by moving production to Fiji,” Mr Spencer said.

“The Vailima brand and heritage will continue to live on by using the same traditional methods and ingredients.”

The 50 local Samoan workers affected by the move can expect redundancy packages, Mr Spencer said.

Distribution And Retail

In the meantime, Vailima will continue to be distributed and sold in Samoa, said Samoa’s Talamua Online News.

Vailima is a German-style lager, brewed in Samoa, and named after a village.

It is a Samoa word for water in the hand.

Founded in 1978, the Vailima Brewery in Samoa started in co-operation with a German company – Hasse Braurei, before it was taken over by Paradise Beverages four years ago.

In the past five years, Samoa Breweries Limited, had steadily declined its operations on account of factors that included ageing machinery, the impact of the 2019 measles outbreak, followed by the disruption caused by COVID-19.

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