Small business owners are talented, tenacious, and adaptable. In the Caribbean, they also have to be strong-willed, focused, and determined.

Our region is overflowing with entrepreneurs, innovators, and artisans who are offering goods and services that are uniquely Caribbean. Their business stories are original and inspirational and Yello is pleased to share them with you.

In this new series, ‘Made in the Caribbean’, we aim to introduce you a diverse range of local and regional small and micro enterprises and provide insight into how and why they got started. 

These brands are proudly Caribbean, and we hope you will support them. We’re starting with handmade gin producer ‘Trois Femmes Gin’ from St Lucia.

Name of business: Trois Femmes Artisan Products Ltd.

Founders: Maxine, Camilla, and Michele.

Location: Marisule, Castries (St Lucia).

When was the business officially started? September 2018.

Where did the original idea / concept for the business come from? 2017 was not a good year for us three women, life was throwing us all some curve balls, like caring for elderly parents, health, and work issues. We would get together and share our woes, but we were not the sort of women to feel sorry for ourselves! We decided we needed a hobby, and we wanted a fun one. We all enjoy gin, so we set about the challenge of creating a gin using botanicals from St Lucia.

How did you go about making the first batch of Trois Femmes Gin? We did a lot of research. We tasted a lot of gin! We visited small artisan gin distilleries in the UK and asked lots of questions. We started with a recipe we devised utilising many local botanicals and tried it. We refined this over a few months and by early 2018 we had created a good product and friends were encouraging us to sell it.

We were getting great feedback, so we took the plunge to start the business. We settled on the final recipe through taste testing and tweaking it until we were satisfied.

What was your biggest challenge when you first set-up the business? COVID-19 and sourcing bottles.

What makes Trois Femmes Gin different to other alcoholic beverages? It’s an artisan product made by us, by hand, from start to finish. We created the recipe, we grow, pick, and process the local botanicals. We make the gin, bottle it, put on labels, and distribute it.

What is the unique selling point for Trois Femmes Gin? It’s a gin that utilises botanicals grown in our own gardens right here in St Lucia. Our gin tastes wonderfully refreshing as a simple gin and tonic or in cocktails.

Where can people buy Trois Femmes Gin? Directly from us or at The Marketplace in Rodney Bay Marina. Local hotels and bars also sell our gins.

How do you plan to grow the business over the next 12 to 18 months? We want to approach more establishments to stock our product especially duty free because our gins make a wonderful gift from St Lucia.

What advice would you give other small business owners? Have belief in yourself and enjoy the process of creating your business. Don’t rush! We have had the best time making ours.

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Follow Trois Femmes Gin on Instagram @troisfemmesgin and place an order via WhatsApp on +1 (758) 724-9095.