The introduction of cans is intended to accelerate the growth of Red Stripe by providing consumers with more opportunities to enjoy the brand. Statistics indicate that currently, the small import beer sector is growing by 4.6 per cent with import cans growing 13 per cent.

Despite the state of the US economy, Red Stripe beer continues to show a fair degree of resilience, registering a 30 per cent increase in volume sales in February.

The product is only now available in the bottle formats - the traditional 12oz bottle plus the big stubby or 24oz bottle.

Partnership with Moosehead

However, under a freshly inked licence brew arrangement, Red Stripe Jamaica has contracted the services of Moosehead Brewery in Canada, to brew, package and export the 12oz cans to its affiliate, Diageo USA.

"In order to guarantee that our trademark award-winning quality is maintained, the quality control team in Jamaica is intimately involved in all quality-control processes," said Grace Silvera, international marketing director. "Since we do not have a canning line in Jamaica, the partnership with Moosehead is also the most cost-effective way of enabling us to ensure that Red Stripe is competitively priced."