A producer of a leading imported wine in Nigeria, Mr. James Iweh, the CEO of JAMEK Nigeria Beverages has urged Nigerians to learn to equip self on the benefits and health hazard of alcohol intake. JAMEK boss said the future of wine business in the country will be great if Nigerians know more about wine and the quantity of what they take into their system to avoid health hazards.
He made this call during the official opening of new retail and wholesale outlet of JAMEK at 53/55 Ago Palace Way, Okota Lagos. The Imo State-born indigene and a former trained Army officer further said it is not only in Nigeria that drugs are being abused, but alcohol abuse also has to do with the individual.
He said, alcohol is good for the body when you drink responsibly, it prevents brain disease and it blows away the effects like fats surrounding your heart but when it is abused, It’s going to have a lot of effects on your kidney and that is why JAMEK wine is trying to produce more non- alcoholic wines. Also speaking on the challenge of adulteration, Iweh said in a bid to check adulteration through which human health can be affected, his company has proscribed a measure to checking adulteration of drinks in Nigeria with top notch technology.
According to Iweh, “there is no way JAMEK wine will be imitated and we won’t know when we see it, I have an app in my phone and if I enter any wine store and type the code, it will make a sound and I will know that the product is an adulterated version of my wine, again our products are very protected that the cork is doubled and it can never be faked in Nigeria. He said:
“ Our wines are produced to soothe our weather because we make it in compliant with it. There are so many wines in Nigeria today that are too harsh because of the hot weather but if you drink JAMEK wine, you will see how smooth it is because it won’t give you headache or heartburn. In Germany where we produce the wine is known for not compromising when it comes to wine.
Our wine may not be the same price as other wines in the market but we are after the quality of the product and not the quantity. “Again whenever I want to produce any wine, I get a sample of different wines and take it to Germany and we analyze it, I can tell you today that there are some spirits that people drink in Nigeria that are made for countries whose whether are cold. If I want to produce any spirit, I will make sure it won’t harm your health by giving you heartburn or work against your kidney.
He further said: “I am the franchised owner of all my products because they are all NAFDAC rated, and we practiced what we called Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), by inviting NAFDAC to be part of the product and that is why they also investigate the company that produces for us.
“JAMEK Cocktail is the first-ever approved wine by NAFDAC in Nigeria, it is made up of mango and other fruits, when you talk about the cocktail, you talk about content that is refined and concentrate not flavored. Concentrate drink is different from flavored drink because it’s pure fruits and NAFDAC did not believe this and they told me they are going to prove whether the cocktail is fruit concentrate.
“So in 2015, NAFDAC traveled to Germany to visit the company that produces it and there they saw mangoes and other fruits being brought in and produced fresh without adding any sweetener, that was when they approved the cocktail and gave us a number, making it the first cocktail that will ever be approved in Nigeria.
“I am into wine business not just because of making money alone but also to produce what will be of great health benefits to the human body as well as creating jobs for people,”
he said.
