REB Lokal turns Haitian harvests into a growing local supply chain

By Daniel Okafor

REB Lokal works with almost 2,000 suppliers, including agricultural producers and small traders, and employs more than 20 people, founder Rébetha Charles said in a WhatsApp interview with Global Voices. The Haitian company buys crops from small farmers and turns them into food in a manufacturing plant in Grand’Anse.

Charles said:

“We work with a supplier network of almost 2,000 people, including agricultural producers and small traders. We have more than 20 employees, so we work every day to grow the project even more.”

Charles, 38, comes from Jérémie, studied agronomy and works in Grand’Anse, a southern department whose capital is Jérémie. Global Voices said REB is a shortened version of her name, while Lokal expresses pride in making local products.

Why has Haiti come to depend so heavily on imports?

Global Voices reported that Haiti’s reliance on imports grew as tariff barriers fell significantly over several decades, particularly for goods from the United States and the Dominican Republic. The framework began with structural-adjustment programs initiated in 1994 and 1995 through agreements between Haiti’s government, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Imports then came to dominate the Haitian market. Global Voices said they created inequitable competition for subsistence farmers using rudimentary equipment and weakened national production.

The source also cited gang violence, political instability and inadequate infrastructure as obstacles in Haiti.

How does local processing protect farm income?

Charles said manufacturing gives farmers a much better guarantee that they will not lose their crops. Before REB Lokal bought produce, obstacles including spoilage often prevented farmers from selling at market.

She said the manufacturing process produces authentic, nutritious and 100 percent local products. Her company focuses on safe, fresh food that meets modern food-processing standards while preserving Haitian culinary traditions and the natural taste and nutritional value of local ingredients. REB Lokal avoids chemical additives and artificial ingredients.

Charles described the output as healthy, sustainable and tasty, and positioned it as accessible, community-friendly food. The plant acts as a buffer between harvest and market: REB Lokal buys produce before spoilage and converts it into finished food.

Why did Charles leave humanitarian work?

Before entering agribusiness, Charles worked at an international humanitarian organization and did not initially see herself as an entrepreneur. Global Voices reported that she resigned after confronting a workplace culture of sexual harassment.

In a WhatsApp interview, Charles said:

“In Haiti,” she stresses, “a woman’s life is not easy when it comes to work. Instead of competence, sometimes there are other things they ask from us.

Sometimes, some of us stand up and say, ‘No, we do not agree,’ because we went to school just like everyone else, got experience where we needed — and after that, there are things we choose not to do.”

She said the experience left her deeply disillusioned with work. Charles paused her career despite other opportunities at larger organizations.

She submitted her resignation letter on August 31, 2020, and launched REB Lokal the next day.

How did papita become the first product?

Charles told Chef Cassy that she began with papita, made from breadfruit and banana, and spent more than five months producing it every day without getting it right. By the sixth month, papita was selling well in supermarkets, and customer orders rose each day.

Global Voices reported that the small business began with about USD 8.50 while selling papita.

What does REB Lokal make?

Global Voices described a small manufacturing plant at REB Lokal with separate production, transformation and packaging rooms, alongside a shopfront displaying finished products on open shelves. Employees worked in white coats, hairnets and gloves. The inventory now extends well beyond the original papita.

• Roasted peanuts; sakalapina, a cornmeal-and-avocado dish; papita in chicken and fish flavors; konparet, a spiced ginger-coconut cake; and corn chanchanm, a sweet made from roasted corn and peanuts.
• Honey, sugar cane syrup, chocolate powder and balls, cocoa butter, and flours made from breadfruit, corn, cassava and plantain.
• Baby food made without chemicals under paediatricians’ and nutritionists’ supervision; alcoholic drinks; fruit juice; and castor oil.

Global Voices described the range as broad and widely available. Charles said REB Lokal sells in Grand’Anse, the south, the west and several other Haitian departments. The company also sells in the United States and Canada.

What limits REB Lokal’s expansion?

Global Voices reported that gangs’ control of main roads can slow deliveries and limit production, while poor access prevents products from reaching many Haitian communities.

Charles, who grew up in what Global Voices described as an idyllic rural community, said the company’s work remained close to her heart. Despite the constraints, she remains optimistic about Haiti’s future and has found practical ways around some obstacles.

As Charles seeks to grow the project, gang control of the main roads remains the clearest limit on delivery times, production and access for Haitian communities.