Vitis Industries

The penalty fees was for engaging in excise tax evasion practices on its premises.

Customs Chief Commissioner David Towe confirmed that the penalty has been settled in full and that Customs is now working with the company to provide tax compliance guidance and supervision.

The Chief Commissioner stated that the penalties paid consists of K2.476 million for not keeping proper records and accounts for 16,506 cartons of various alcohol products,  K113, 850 for not keeping proper records and accounts for 759 cartons of various cigarettes brands.

Mrs Mosin said their products are approved and certified by relevant government authorities before they are sold to the public.

She said having been targeted for selling cheap alcohol to consumers the bad publicity has affected the company’s reputation as a PNG-owned business.

Malina Finance, a subsidiary company to VITIS Industries, have created the new loan service that can be accessed online, with the aim of helping people get by until the next work fortnight.

The requirements are that one must firstly be currently employed to be eligible for this package.

The product ranges from 100 to 1000 kina, and there are four different categories in this loan.

Out of the 800 staff employed, 450 have been let go following a redundancy exercise carried out by management.

Earlier it was reported that only 100 staff out of a total of 450 staff were let go.

However, Vitis Industries clarified that the correct figure was in fact that out of a total of 800 staff, 350 were retained while 450 were let go.

Vitis Industries says the redundancy exercise is crucial for the company at this point in time, due to several underlying factors, which include:

The 6 samples sent to Berlin Germany from Vitis Industries were among samples sent from 12 other countries.

It was the first time for Vitis Industries to enter the Annual Berlin International Beer Competition and they won Gold.

The competition featured more than 100 beer samples from 12 countries around the world.

Vitis Mosin range of premium beers that won medals include the Classic Lager which won Gold, Pilsner which won Silver, and four bronze to Gold Lager, Stout, New Guinea IPA and Classic Strong Lager.

Recently the company bought a coffee plantation in the Morobe Province to help boost its overseas export quota with its coffee products. Gabi said for its local noni juice product, the company was buying from villagers through the Central Province.

"The company is giving back to our people by buying from them to help them raise their living standards," Gabi said. He said since the expo opened this morning at Laguna Hotel, people have continued to stream in to make use of the discounts on offer.

The Vitis Industries product expo continues for another day tomorrow.

And if you thought Vitis Industries is only about food and beverages, you are in for a huge surprise. There are also agents for Invovic Tyres that fit all manner of vehicles.

Vitis official Buri Gabi told Loop PNG that since last year, the Company had been holding monthly expos to showcase their variety of products.

The Vitis Industries product expo is a two-day event. It started today and will end tomorrow.

The general public turned up in numbers to check out the products on display.