Soap Saint Lucia gets skills boost to expand exports

Through a capacity-building initiative in Castries, Saint Lucia’s capital, these artisanal soap producers are strengthening Good Manufacturing Practices, adopting standard operating procedures and building  general export readiness to expand the opportunities for Saint Lucia’s proud soap heritage, but also to safeguard its resilience as a sector.

The support to the soap industry was aimed at growing the artisanal sector rooted in cultural heritage and natural resources, whilst addressing key constraints such as limited scaling capacity, lack of certification, and compliance gaps. Together, these micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) strengthened their skills to improve product quality, ensure compliance, and access to regional and international markets. 

Blu De Franco runs Blu Organics in Castries. She is an artisanal soap producer with a range of products from smoothing scrubs to brightening serums, made from ingredients like coconut oil, ginger and turmeric. Compliance gaps and certification were always a little less exciting. She shared:

“This training has helped demystify the regulatory and export requirements that once seemed out of reach for me. It gives us the confidence to scale our businesses.”

The sessions were mostly attended by women-owned MSMSEs – from women-led MSMEs and micro-producers, small-scale cosmetic and skincare entrepreneurs, rural and community-based producers like Blu - using traditional botanical knowledge - and emerging exporters who face regulatory and market-entry barriers. Increasingly, participants have come from the legal profession, academia, and the education and agricultural sectors – all eager to strengthen their entrepreneurial skills to better manage and grow their businesses.

A trade portal to boost MSMEs across the Commonwealth

In November, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth Secretariat will launch a Trade Portal and MSME Directory. The Trade Portal will be a unifying platform for MSME buyers, sellers and businesses – like Blu de Franco’s soap production - across the Commonwealth.

Support to MSMEs in transitioning from informal production to structured, export-ready businesses enhance competitiveness of locally produced, value-added goods in regional and global markets, especially those that tap into the Commonwealth Trade Advantage.

The Portal will provide key trade-related information and insights about Commonwealth markets, products, competition in one place. Businesses will be able to reach a wider and more diverse audience, increase sales opportunities and mitigate the impacts of seasonality whilst establishing their brand in the Commonwealth. It is the Commonwealth Trade Advantage in action.

Expanding opportunity across the Commonwealth

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Kensle Nepture works for the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS), and really wanted to be part of the work with the celebrated and resilient soap industry in her country to experience the learning first-hand:

“We see the value of working together as a community to support producers including MSMEs to improve quality, achieve certification, and access new markets.”

The soap industry initiative in Castries is an example of how the Commonwealth unlocks trade, growth and jobs, and expands opportunity across all its regions, especially for MSMEs, through accelerating partnerships and prosperity and soon the Commonwealth Trade Portal will provide access to important information on trading within the Commonwealth.