From intern to industry mentor

More than two decades after entering Red Stripe as an intern, spirits consultant Teika Samuda is using her experience to open doors for Jamaica’s next generation of bartenders.

Over the next two decades, that internship evolved into a career spanning marketing, international assignments, training, strategy and consultancy across the beverage industry.

Mentors helped her see possibilities before she could see them herself. Then Sales Director Tim Szoni backed her development; Consumer Planning Manager Wayne Lawrence taught her to understand the wider business; and Outbound Logistics Manager Jacqueline Anderson placed her on cross-functional projects that positioned her for Marketing.

Their investment prepared her for a defining assignment. Guided by International Director of Marketing Grace Silvera, Samuda supported Red Stripe’s launch in Puerto Rico, testing her knowledge, building confidence and expanding her sense of what was possible.

Travel then became another classroom.

Studying Johnnie Walker in Scotland, Ketel One in Holland, Cîroc in France and Zacapa in Guatemala exposed her to the heritage, precision and service rituals that turn drink-making into craft.

“In Jamaica at the time, the focus was largely on assembling a drink. Internationally, I saw the discipline behind the glass - the technique, the experience and the systems that allow a bartender to perform at a consistently high standard,” she said.

She brought those lessons home, applying them to more efficient back-of-bar layouts, signature cocktails, mixology techniques and structured team training. Yet she understood that international standards would only have impact if they felt relevant to Jamaican bartenders and consumers.

“I became a translator,” Samuda said. “My role was not to copy what worked elsewhere, but to interpret global traditions, trends and stories in a way that felt authentic to Jamaica.”

In Samuda’s telling, Red Stripe became her university: the business was her classroom, experienced colleagues were her teachers, and every brand, assignment and challenge offered a practical lesson. Working across Red Stripe, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker gave her an education in consumer insight, storytelling, strategy and problem-solving that extended far beyond any single role.

Turning experience into opportunity

When Samuda left Red Stripe as a full-time employee, the relationship did not end; it evolved. As a consultant, she continued to deliver brand immersion and bar staff training, support consumer engagements and contribute to marketing strategy.

Today, much of that work is channelled through Red Stripe’s Brewtender programme, where she helps aspiring bartenders develop both technical skills and the professionalism required to succeed in hospitality.

Her sessions cover everything from food pairing, upselling, signature cocktails and mixology to the less visible skills that shape the customer experience, including reading a room, adapting to different personalities and maintaining professional boundaries.

“Talent may give someone a head start, but professionalism is built,” Samuda said. “Cocktail-making is a skill, and with the right training, practice and discipline, that skill can be learned. Mastery means combining product and flavour knowledge with speed, precision and the ability to produce a balanced cocktail consistently, even under pressure.”

In the Brewtender participants, she sees many of the same qualities her mentors recognised in her years ago.

“I saw passion, curiosity and the willingness to improve,” she said. “With continued effort, they can become polished professionals and help shape what Jamaica’s cocktail industry becomes next.”

In Samuda’s view, raising standards across the industry will require a long-term commitment to training and development.

“One workshop can inspire someone, but consistency is what changes behaviour,” she said. “Training must be accessible, repeated and reinforced if we want stronger standards across the industry.”

Better training can also create opportunities beyond the bar, opening pathways into hospitality management, beverage consultancy, menu development, brand ambassadorship and entrepreneurship.

Asked what advice she would give someone starting out, Samuda did not hesitate.

“Grasp every opportunity. Fear may come with you, but it should never be allowed to lead.”