The Shipping Problem Crushing Caribbean Product Businesses

Hurricane Maria changed Terri Henry-Lovell’s life.

When she returned to Dominica after the storm, much of the tourism and nature-based work she had built her life around was no longer viable.

So she started again.

The first product was a handmade lip balm made with beeswax.

That experiment eventually became Bee Natural, a Caribbean wellness brand producing deodorants, body butters, balms and other hive-based products from Dominica.

Today, Bee Natural sells across several Caribbean islands, works with hotels and other businesses, and is preparing for its next stage of production growth.

Terri shares what building a physical-product business from a small Caribbean island actually looks like, from grants and bookkeeping to manufacturing, shipping and having cash tied up in inventory.

We also talk about the personal cost of entrepreneurship, why Caribbean exports remain harder than they should be, and why she says she might never have started if she knew everything the journey would require.

In this episode:

How Hurricane Maria led to Bee Natural

Why she started with a single lip balm

Building handmade products from Dominica

Turning grants into real production growth

Why Caribbean shipping is still a major problem

The “Space in Your Case” solution

Running almost every role in a small business

Building systems that let a founder finally let go

Working with her daughter and husband

Why Caribbean-made products deserve more regional support