The Tribune

A fledgling brewery has received $300,000 in financing through the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC), making it the latter's highest-funded client to-date.

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Bahamas has provided 2 B Investments Ltd with $211,000, or almost two-thirds, with a private investor generating the $89,000 balance to ensure Christine Albury can bring her brewery ambitions to life.

Ms Albury wanted to honour her husband's memory following his death, and the fun times they enjoyed on Rose Island as a family, by concocting his favourite brew.

"We named it Rip Ty'd to pay homage to (my husband) Tyrone and his talent of brewing, as well as his love of the ocean," she said. "Our nautical theme was a concept generated on Rose Island, The Bahamas in 2014. It is reflective of the Bahamian waters and our beaching past time with family."

Remaking his favourite drink soon moved from a hobby to an experience Ms Albury believed could be shared commercially. "That was the hardest part," she said, "deciding to transition from a hobby to a commercial set-up. We were faced with multiple hurdles throughout the years, which we refer to as growth experiences."

Ms Albury's ability to grow through those experiences helped significantly as she went through the SBDC process. She recommends using the Centre to those companies who, as she says, "have the perseverance and willingness to commit your time and effort at a fairly intense level as required by the SDBC".

Ms Albury will use the new financing to obtain equipment and continue building. Long term, she hopes to take Rip Ty'd to every island in The Bahamas and, eventually, the world.