meme bete Participates in Caribbean Export WE-Xport Programme

This weekend, m?me b?te? participated in the popular BMEX trade show in Barbados, which coincided with the conclusion of the WE-Xport programme, an initiative of the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA), developed to support Caribbean women in business to start exporting or increase the exports of their products and services.

The programme launched on March 7th, 2018, the day before International Women?s Day, and received an impressive 186 applications from women-owned businesses across the region, of which only twenty were selected. The key benefits of the programme fall under four pillars: access to finance; capacity building; access to markets and advocacy.

As it relates to access to finance, CEDA partnered with the Caribbean Development Bank to host a workshop, and facilitated capacity building through the support of a financial consultant. Participants took part in angel investing webinars, which were designed to improve their pitching skills.

For the capacity-building component, CEDA introduced a business coaching programme, connecting each firm to an experienced coach for a period of three months. m?me b?te? was fortunate to have been paired with the inspirational social entrepreneur Jason Grullon, known for his work with the ethical fashion brand VIRTUROCKS, and the ethical fashion platform DelCayo, not to mention his experience working with GIZ, UNICEF and the UNDP. Additionally, under this pillar, participants were assigned technical experts to assist with sales and marketing, branding and packaging, and certification.

In terms of access to markets, firms attended a number of trade shows, exhibitions and fashion festivals across the world, culminating in the BMEX show in Barbados.

Finally, as it relates to advocacy, CEDA partnered with UN-Women to develop the WE-SPEAK Caribbean podcast, which addresses the constraints and issues affecting women in business in the region, and provides a platform for women entrepreneurs to discuss priority issues.

The closing ceremony for the programme was held at the Hilton Barbados Resort, and featured presentations from a number of stakeholders, including representatives of the European Union, and the government of Barbados, as well as Success Stories from two hugely successful and inspirational entrepreneurs. m?me b?te? Founder and Creative Director, Taribba do Nascimento, was invited to share the stage with the keynote speakers, and talk about her own experience with the programme, giving a moving testimony of how the WE-Xport network provided a support structure and enabled her to further expand the business both at home and overseas.

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For more information on the WE-Xport programme please click here.

All images are copyright Caribbean Export.