Business in brief

Wine and spirits company Select Brands has been chosen as the exclusive distributors of rum cakes and other Tortuga gourmet products across Jamaica. 

The company will add the new category of products from Feb. 7 and provide sales, marketing and distribution for Tortuga. 

Tortuga International is part of the Jamaica Producers Group of Companies, with bakeries and operations in Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Barbados and The Bahamas. Its line of products is sold on nearly 100 cruise ships and at gift and specialty shops throughout North America and the Caribbean. 

Jeffrey Hall, group managing director of Jamaica Producers, told the Jamaica Gleaner’s Sunday Business: “We are seeing a huge opportunity for growth in all the tourism-related channels. We believe that Select Brands is positioned to support this aim. Tortuga has a leading position as a premium souvenir rum cake distributor in a number of Caribbean destinations.” 

He said that with the bakery operation based in Montego Bay, St James, Tortuga was “perfectly positioned” to access opportunities in tourism. 

Marcus Simmonds, chief executive officer of Tortuga International Holdings Ltd., said, “We are very excited to continue our journey in Jamaica with our new partners, Select Brands, and to bring an even wider range of our gourmet products to the island.” 

RBC Wealth Management, part of Royal Bank of Canada, has announced the appointment of Alison Parker as a trust director based in Grand Cayman. 

Reporting to Brian Taylor, head of Trust Management, Caribbean, Mrs. Parker will assist in the delivery of RBC Wealth Management’s Caribbean Trust offering to international high net worth clients. She will work closely with the internal team of trust officers and managers to provide integrated fiduciary solutions to address the wealth management needs of these clients.  

Mrs. Parker joins RBC from Farrer & Co LLP in London, where she was an associate in the International Private Client team focused on providing advice to international individuals and families and offshore trust companies with U.K. tax and trust issues. 

Staff at Walkers donated $2,365.75 to the Cayman Islands Cancer Society for the charity’s fundraising drive for the new chemotherapy facility at the Cayman Islands Hospital. The donation came from Walkers’ employees as part of the firm’s Dress-Down Program, in which staff make a regular monthly donation in order to dress in casual clothes each Friday. 

The Cayman Islands Real Estate Brokers Association presented a $15,000 donation to The Pines at the organization’s holiday party.  

Lynda Mitchell, manager of The Pines retirement home, said the donation will help complete the Room/Ward Sponsorship Drive that started over a year ago. The funds will go toward the purchase of furnishings and equipment for the rooms and wards.  

“We are happy to say, that we have only one private room, one two-bedded room and one four-bedded ward left for sponsorship,” Ms Mitchell said. “… We greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness and support from CIREBA.”