COSMÉTICOS LAITA: CHALLENGE PAYS OFF

Laura Arce from Cosméticos Laita, a Costa Rican natural cosmetics company founded in 2003, met the local Marriott International procurement team at the 2015 WEConnect International Business Roundtable. Marriott International, a WEConnect International corporate member, was revamping their spa menus and was looking for natural cosmetics suppliers. Laura was given the challenge of developing a new product line to suit their spa treatment needs and another one for retail. Laita started the research and development process, met with Marriott International for testing, feedback, formula adjustments and packaging options, and finally got the new line approved for all of their spas.

Laura noticed that the Women Owned logo on Laita’s products caught Marriott International’s attention right away. Another determining factor was their flexibility and speed to adjust to the client’s needs while maintaining quality. Says Laura:

“Entering Marriott was a big challenge for us, but we knew it was a significant opportunity that we couldn’t miss. We had to research new ingredients, develop new formulas, bring in new packaging. We went back and forth with testing and feedback, but it all paid off. We are a different company now, and none of this could have happened without the WEConnect International certification.”