Barbados company Ripples Limited has re-entered the export market after an eight-year hiatus.
Company spokesman Barry Mayers said Ripples swimwear was now being exported to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The company is also keen to sell to additional markets, including in the Caribbean.
“Ripples had stopped exporting around 2006 with Puerto Rico being its biggest market. Ripples basically focused on its manufacturing for local Crop Over costumes but for the first time in a few years this year we have exported not only to one country but to two countries. We have exported back to Puerto Rico and then we have also exported under the trade agreement with CARICOM and Dominican Republic,” he explained.
“So, yes, it’s a depressed economy in Barbados but we have focused our efforts at Ripples to be exporting. We know we have a good product in our swimwear and we have focused on exporting to markets where we know we are competitively priced. We have good product, we have good quality and we will continue to do that into 2015.”
Mayers said having previously exported to “three quarters of the Caribbean”, the 30-year-old company was “now back into full production and we are looking at new customers throughout the other islands and we are going to continue that through 2015, to try to export to as many countries and islands that we can export to.” (SC)