Bridgetown, BARBADOS, June 4, 2019. Over the past year a cadre of women owned businesses from across CARIFORUM have been supported by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) to develop their businesses for the export market.

With products ranging from sauces and condiments, natural spa and cosmetics, fashion and accessories and tourism the women owned businesses have benefitted from business coaching, training on access to finance, export promotion activities and as the Women Empowered through Export (WE-Xport) programme comes towards an end, they will be participating across two shared pavilions at this years’ BMEX from 7-10^th June 2019.

“BMEX provides an excellent platform to encourage regional trade. In addition to supporting the participation of the women-led companies we have also supported buyers from across the region to attend” informed Allyson Francis, Services Specialist at Caribbean Export.

Over 30 buyers in total are said to be attending BMEX this year, 15 of which have been supported by Caribbean Export in cooperation with the European Union via the 11^th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP) which the Agency is currently implementing.

In addition to the WE-Xport firms’ participation at BMEX, Caribbean Export will host the WE-Xport Fireside Chat on Friday 7^th of June. Guests of the conversation include the US TV show Shark Tank winner Keisha Smith-Jeremie, Founder and Owner of Sanaia. Originally from The Bahamas Smith-Jeremie will share her experiences scaling up from a home-based apple sauce production supplying friends and family to a full-scale production facility with the capacity to supply nationwide. Joining Smith-Jeremie will be Award-winning Forbes 30 Under 30 serial entrepreneur Christine Souffrant-Ntim. Souffrant-Ntim is also the Co-Founder of the Global Start-Up Ecosystem and will share how business can leverage technology effectively.

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About Caribbean Export

Caribbean Export is a regional export development and trade and investment promotion organisation of the Forum of Caribbean States (CARIFORUM) currently executing the Regional Private Sector Programme (RPSDP) funded by the European Union under the 11^th European Development Fund (EDF) Caribbean Export’s mission is to increase the competitiveness of Caribbean countries by providing quality export development and trade and investment promotion services through effective programme execution and strategic alliances.

More information about Caribbean Export can be found at www.carib-export.com. Contact: JoEllen Laryea, PR and Communications, Caribbean Export Development Agency, Tel: +1(246) 436-0578, Fax: +1(246) 436-9999, Email: [email protected]