In recognition of its recent accomplishments in regional export, Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon toured the warehouse of Christle Ltd at the O'Meara Industrial Estate on December 17.

She was accompanied by Roger Roach, president of the TT Manufacturers' Association (TTMA) and Gabrielle Agostini, chief operating officer of Coconut Growers Association (CGA) Ltd.

The company, which now exports to ten countries regionally, was started in 1989 by Christopher Garcia and has seen exponential growth within the last few years under the guidance of deputy managing director Jonathan Garcia, the founder’s son.

In the last two years, the company has taken part in trade missions through the TT Chamber and exportTT to Grenada, the Dominican Republic, St Lucia, Suriname, Guyana, Barbados, Belize, Suriname, Curacao and Aruba. These missions provided the company with networking opportunities which propelled its rapid expansion and won it the TTMA’s Trade Mission Champion Award 2023.

Gopee-Scoon said, "We’re thrilled to see the continued growth and we’re here to assist them with employing other production methods so they can produce at a faster rate.

"But at this stage I think they have grown exponentially for a small business and now we’re looking forward to seeing them grow."

Roach also applauded the company for its recent success and said the visit would help the TTMA assess the needs of the business so it can expand further.

"Part of these visits is not only to see how far they’ve come but also to do a gap analysis to see what may be needed for them to go even further. His company has something that a lot of businesses wish for, which is a high demand for their products. And with high demand comes the requirement to scale up.

"The fact that they have been able to get into ten countries in a two-year period – some companies take 20 years to do that, so it’s a testimony to the work that they’ve put in. It's a testament to the foundation that was laid by Chris."

Christopher Garcia expressed his gratitude to the minister, the TTMA and the government for their continued support of the company’s expansion

"I also thank my son Jonathan for doing a remarkable job on exports and I thank all my staff, from the janitor up. They are all very close to my heart and I love them dearly, just as I love my son. And we promise that we will move forward."

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