Belize's Berry Bowen: A Tropical Paradise

Belizean bottling magnate and entrepreneur Sir Barry Manfield Bowen KCMG was born in Belize City, British Honduras, on September 19, 1945. He was a seventh-generation Belizean, born to Eric William Manfield Bowen and Emilie Josephine Bowen, originally from San Ignacio, Cayo District. Bowen attended Cornell University and returned to Belize to run his father's lemonade factory, Bowen and Bowen (also known as the Crystal Bottling Co.), which would eventually become the country's largest bottler under his management. Bowen and Bowen became the exclusive bottler of Coca-Cola products in Belize, and he also founded the Belize Brewing Company, which brews Belikin Beer, among other business ventures. Bowen served as a member of the Senate of Belize and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007. He passed away in a plane crash in 2010 and was granted a state funeral. Today, the Belize Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport in Belize City is named after him.

Belize's beverage baron

In 1968, Bowen became the manager of his father's company, and in 1971, the family-owned Bowen and Bowen acquired the Belize Brewing Company, maker of Belikin beer. Bowen purchased Bowen and Bowen, Ltd. from his father in 1977 and set about developing it into Belize's exclusive maker and distributor of Coca-Cola products. He also aimed to make Belikin the country's most popular beer.

In addition to his Coca-Cola and Belikin operations, Bowen had diverse business interests. He owned the Gallon Jug Estate, a vast private nature reserve in the Orange Walk District, which included the Chan Chich Lodge, a renowned Belizean rainforest hotel. Bowen also established an organic experimental farm, Gallon Jug Agro-Industries, which produced cacao and cattle, and was the only commercial coffee grower in Belize. His other ventures included Belize Aquaculture Ltd., a shrimp farm, a Ford dealership, and Belize Airways, the country's first national airline.

Beyond his business ventures, Bowen served as a member of the Senate of Belize and financed the People's United Party. In recognition of his contributions, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 2007. Sadly, Bowen's life was cut short in a plane crash in 2010, but his legacy as Belize's beverage baron endures through his family's continued stewardship of the Bowen and Bowen empire.

The Belize Brewing Company

Belize Brewing Company is a subsidiary of the Bowen & Bowen Company Limited, which was founded by Eric William Manfield Bowen in the 1930s. The Belize Brewing Company was incorporated in 1969, after Barry Bowen, Eric's son, convinced his father to start a brewery.

The success of the Belize Brewing Company is due in large part to the vision and hard work of Barry Bowen, who was a seventh-generation Belizean with a passion for his country and its people. Bowen was a true entrepreneur who was never driven by the pursuit of wealth but rather by the pursuit of growth and creation. He was also known for his environmental commitment to Belize, including his contributions to the Rio Bravo Conservation, the largest private nature reserve in the country.

In addition to his work with the Belize Brewing Company, Bowen had a large number of other business interests, including shrimp farming, power generation, tourism hospitality services, auto sales, shipping, and cattle husbandry. He was also a political financier and served in the Belize Senate for at least two years during the first term of the People's United Party (PUP).

Bowen and Bowen, Ltd

Barry Bowen attended Cornell University and returned to Belize to run Bowen and Bowen with his father. They began distributing Coca-Cola products throughout the country, then known as British Honduras. In 1968, Barry became the manager of his father's company, and in 1971, the family-owned business acquired the Belize Brewing Company, maker of Belikin beer. In 1977, Barry purchased the company from his father and focused on developing it into Belize's only maker and distributor of Coca-Cola products in the country.

In addition to his Coca-Cola and Belikin operations, Barry Bowen had a large number of other business interests. Bowen and Bowen, Ltd. is heavily invested in a diverse grouping of industries, ranging from automotive-related companies to food and beverage. Under the parent company Bowen & Bowen Company Limited, there are six subsidiaries:

• Crystal Bottling Company, which produces juices and purified water
• Belize Brewing Company, which bottles Belikin Beer, Stout, and Guinness
• Belize Aquaculture Limited (BAL), a state-of-the-art farm that supplies power to the national grid
• Belize Estate and Producers Company Limited, the local agent for Ford vehicles and Hapag-Lloyd shipping
• Gallon Jug Agro-Industry Limited, which produces cattle, lumber, hot sauce, jams, and jellies
• Chan Chich Eco Hotel, which has housed famous guests like ex-US President Jimmy Carter

Barry Bowen was a prominent businessman and entrepreneur who played a significant role in Belize's industrial history and development. He served in the Belize Senate and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 for his contributions to commerce and industry. Sadly, he passed away in a plane crash in 2010, and his funeral was held on March 2, 2010, with many dignitaries in attendance.

Barry Bowen's legacy is continued by his sons, who are involved in different aspects of the family business. Michael H. M. Bowen, an eighth-generation Belizean, is the current CEO of Bowen & Bowen, Ltd., and under his leadership, the company has grown and expanded its offerings.

Belize's industrial history

Logwood

The first permanent British settlement in Belize was founded in the late 1710s, with the cutting of logwood as its primary economic activity. Logwood was used in the production of a textile dye, and the British settlers established a system using enslaved Africans to cut the wood. The Spanish granted the British settlers the right to occupy the area and cut logwood in exchange for their help in suppressing piracy.

Mahogany

Mahogany cutting replaced logwood as the settlement's principal economic activity in the 18th century. By the time slavery was abolished in the 1830s, the settlement had evolved into a plantation society with a small number of European landowners and a large population of slaves from Africa.

Sugar

Sugar became the chief crop in the mid-19th century, and the Belize Estate and Produce Company emerged as the predominant landowner, with about half of all the privately-held land in the colony. The company's influence led to the colony's reliance on the mahogany trade throughout the rest of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

Modern Times

Belize's economy has diversified since the mid-20th century, with the growth of tourism, citrus and banana production, and the emergence of a garment industry. The country has also seen the development of its infrastructure, with the expansion of its road network, the improvement of its port facilities, and the modernisation of its telecommunications system.

Belize's small, private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming greater importance in recent years.

Belize's environmental commitment

Belize is a country committed to environmental conservation and sustainability. With its dense flora and fauna, unique to the Caribbean and Central America, the nation's natural assets are a vital part of its economy. Belize has recently reaffirmed its environmental leadership by becoming the first country in the Americas to finalise a debt conversion for ocean conservation. This commitment will enable the country to restructure its external commercial debt, reducing the national debt by 12%.

Belize has committed to protecting 30% of its ocean territory, which includes vital ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass beds. This will be achieved through a participatory, stakeholder-driven marine spatial planning process. The country has also implemented other significant conservation measures, such as an indefinite moratorium on offshore oil exploration, a ban on trawlers in its waters, and efforts to curb overfishing. These actions have the potential to boost local economies and protect resources that many Belizeans rely on.

Belize's commitment to conservation is further demonstrated by its establishment of the National Biodiversity Office (NBIO) and the Sustainable Development Unit. The country is also home to individuals passionate about environmental protection, such as the late Sir Barry Bowen, a successful entrepreneur and seventh-generation Belizean. Bowen contributed to the Rio Bravo Conservation, the largest private nature reserve in Belize, and owned the Gallon Jug Estate, a 130,000-acre private nature reserve.

Belize's efforts to protect its natural assets are impressive, and the country serves as a role model for climate and biodiversity action, especially in the critical decade for nature that we are currently in.

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