Beer brewers join forces

By Margaret Wise

MARSHALL Islands entrepreneur Harry Doultram has teamed up with an Australian-based organisation to pro duce commercial beer at his brewery in Majuro. Last month the Australian

Group, Global Beverages, was granted a

foreign business licence to operate in partnership with Doultram’s Marshall Island Breweries.

After a period of trials and major refit of the brewery, commercial production commenced last month. The beer is produced by a cold filteration process, currently very popular with new-age drinkers in Australia, Canada and the United States. It is made without artificial flavours or chemical additives, preserving the true flavours of the

ingredients. Only natural ingredients are

used. However, Doultram pointed out that those used to their favourite com mercial beer need not have any concerns.

“Republic Brewery will produce

mainstream beers as well as special boutique beers for those with more exotic

tastes. By combining authentic recipes, proven processes and high quality natu ral ingredients, Republic Brewery will offer a range of consistent high quality beers,” Doultram said. The beer, which was expected to be on sale in the

Marshall Islands by the middle of last month, is called Marshalls Draft.

An expanded range of draft beer and bottled beer will be available later in the year. Currently the Marshall Islands imports all its beer from the United States and Australia.

“The Republic Brewery, as a local manufacturer, will reduce the depen dence on imports and provide jobs for locals. In doing so, the brewery will inject considerable cash into the local econ omy,” Doultram said. The partnership is a result of Doultram’s visit to Australia during the November 1993 South Pacific Trade Mission, searching for investors

with expertise in the brewing industry.

Doultram said he selected Global Bever ages for their expertise with small breweries and the balance of their management and legal skills.

Following the November meeting two officials of Global Beverages visited Marshall Islands early this year to assess the viability of the project with one of them, Paul Fullerton, staying on to

provide his expertise. □

In the beer business: Harry Doultram (right) and Australian brewer Paul Fullerton