USA.  On moving to the U.S from the Dominican Republic to attend college, Luis Solis was shocked at the lack of decent tropical juices available. His mother brought him fruit pulp in frozen gallon bags when she came to visit him in the U.S just so he could drink the juice that tasted like home while he was studying. Ten years on Solis, the founder and CEO of Caribé Juice, is sure others will love the juice as much as he does. The company, which he founded in Charlottesville two years ago is already distributing to 160 stores and expects to add another 150 by the end of the summer. Solis aims to raise $1 million for marketing the product as it begins expanding to new markets. He has just secured a USD2 million investment from Dominican investors to open a juice processing and co-packing facility in that country, which will dramatically increase Caribé’s capacity — and allow distribution to Solis’ home country for the first time. One of Caribé’s aims is to help small Dominican farmers grow their businesses and get out of poverty. Solis sees the new facility as another economic opportunity for people in his country.

Source: Washington Business Journal