Business

Haiti makes some of the best rum in the world, the most iconic of which are made by Barbancourt.  Founded in 1862, it was now managed by CEO Delphine Nathalie Gardère. Barbancourt employs 500 people and works with 3000 local farmers making it a significant source of livelihoods.  Her goal is for Barbancourt to be an International Ambassador of sorts for Haiti.  Political unrest persists in Haiti - but so does the art, music, rum, humor, decency and everything else that makes Haiti unique.  Take a look at the full article in Sante Magazine, also copied below, and see if you can find or order a bottle of Barbancourt Rum.  You'll be glad that you did. 

Toilet paper is something that it is not adequately appreciated until one does not have it - and forty percent of Haitians do not. Myrtha Vilbon, with support from USAID, has grown her toilet paper production facility significantly. While Haiti is not yet an easy place to do business, she has done well, with over 100 employees (70 of them women) in her factory. The full article by the Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles follows. 

Most would agree increasing trade is important for Haiti's long term development.  Where people disagree concerns what kind, how much, and where.  Haiti has never been an easy place to invest, but it has enormous potential due to its large multinational Diaspora, proximity to the United States, vast labor pool, and now the passage of Hope II.  Given these advantages, is Haiti open for business?