Recently, the workers of the Beverage and Soft Drink Company (Ember), located at kilometre 468 of the Central Highway, at the western end of the city of Ciego de Ávila, in the Cuban province of the same name, toasted to a new success.
They had sufficient reason to unveil the Fidel Centenary plaque, in the presence of Alberto López Díaz, Minister of the Food Industry; Jorge Luis Fajardo Casas, Secretary General of the National Union of Food and Fishing Industry Workers (SNTIAP); Mauri Pereira Vega, member of the Provincial Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba, and other leaders.
The ceremony was held recently to mark the unveiling of the Fidel Centenary plaque, in recognition of the collective’s efficiency in 2025.
«The award is given once only to the most outstanding collectives in our sector nationwide, in line with the efficiency of their comprehensive work during 2025,» declared Yunier Sarmiento Segura, Secretary General of the provincial bureau of the SNTIAP.
Despite Bitter Draughts
In the face of the lacklustre performance of recent sugar harvests, the enterprising collective substituted the sweet grain for sweeteners, an alternative that did not hinder compliance with quality standards for the total soft drink indicator, explained Belkis Rodríguez Fajardo, the entity’s technical production director.
«In this product we achieved 127.13 per cent of the planned amount, using fruit juices in part; we did not achieve the same performance with bagged soft drinks, which performed at 75.82 per cent, due to the shutdown of the factory machine in Morón and the unstable quality of the packaging, in the case of the Tinajito film rolls.
«Regarding wines, we used 43.8 per cent of our production capacity; we had to halt fermentations at one stage of the year due to a lack of raw sugar. Although volumes were modest, we managed to produce vinegar and beer outside the plan.»
She said that the largest contribution was in alcoholic beverages, with 15,388 hectolitres, 101.2 per cent of the forecast, a figure higher than in 2024.
«Contracts for co-production of goods and service provision with non-state management forms were very important in ensuring the vitality of our processes. They provided us with raw materials and inputs for the production of alcoholic beverages, vinegar and wines, while our company contributed equipment, labels, bottle blowing, facilities and skilled labour.»
A Double
Rather than asking for a couple of lines of rum to celebrate the recent triumph, Caridad Carrera Martínez had a double purpose: «I want to highlight that our colleagues meet the physical, chemical and sensory requirements, backed by integrated quality management and food safety systems, the activities of which have held a certificate from the National Standardisation Office since 2023.
«We face challenges with the strength of economic management, because instead of losses due to material and financial limitations and energy disruptions, we achieved profits of more than 167,600,000.00 pesos last year.»
The trade unionist specified that net sales, productivity and wages were above commitments, standing out for the application of payment systems based on final work results, piecework and high performance, which made it possible to increase the average income per worker to 11,807.00 pesos.
Yunier Sarmiento Segura considered that the «aforementioned achievements can constitute an encouraging experience to be shared by Cari, as a direct delegate, at the final sessions of the 22nd CTC Congress, because they are the fruits of a collective that makes donations to a home for children without family support, sponsors health institutions and helps people in vulnerable conditions.»
The staff is also highly committed to the 2026 economic plan. In addition to the forecast production growth in traditional lines, the company will process vinegar, pickled vegetables, tomato derivatives, boost sales to hard-currency store chains and through e-commerce, and carry out the installation of a photovoltaic system at the rum plant of the La Palma base business unit, reported Leonardo Lorente Zayas, the company’s general director.
At Ember, they are also betting this year on new toasts to enhance their track record, which includes National Vanguard status on several occasions, the Provincial Award for Technological Innovation, the Business Quality Award, the CTC 85th Anniversary Flag, and hosting the national event for Food Industry Workers’ Day in 2024, among other accolades.
