Origin Caribe Founder Luis Solis was earning his MBA at the University of Virginia when he noticed a problem. Juice in the U.S. was expensive, high in sugar, and lacked the interesting flavor combinations he grew up with in the Dominican Republic. “I love the food I had growing up in the Dominican Republic and after moving to the U.S., I had to leave a lot of it behind,” Luis told us, “Now I’m trying to bring some of it with Origin Caribe, starting with my favorite drinks.”
Luis also wanted to support local Dominican farmers that grow tropical fruits and often have minimal access to external markets, “I saw an opportunity to create a brand that could serve as a bridge between these two opportunities.”
As with all good entrepreneurs, Luis embraced the opportunity and started Origin Caribe to solve these pain points for customers. In 2017, he opened his own manufacturing facility in the Dominican Republic where he could control the quality, flavors, and sourcing for cold pressed juices. What resulted was a delicious, responsibly sourced line of cold-pressed juices at an affordable price.
To many, the success and impact Origin Caribe has experienced already seems like something out of a movie: MBA student turned social entrepreneur connecting rural Dominican Farmers to American markets. To Luis, it was a result of learning, taking in feedback, and thoughtfully executing. As discussed in our blog on Origin Caribe’s manufacturing, Luis first went to a co-manufacturer for his production. This relationship led to the same, lower quality and higher priced juice products that Luis set out to change. By opening his own manufacturing facility, Luis was able to dictate exactly what and how he wanted to make his line of cold-pressed juices.
What happened? He was able to work with local Dominican farmers, explore interesting flavor combinations, and hit an affordable price point for customers. The product has been such a hit already, in fact, that Origin Caribe has been picked up by Walmart, Costco, and United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), and plans to open a second manufacturing facility in the near future to keep up with the ever-growing demand!
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