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Rubén Valladares y su esposa, dueños de Adorgraf. Rubén Valladares and his wife, owners of Adorgraf.
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ADORGRAF, A SMALL CUBAN STARTUP, AND COMMONWEALTH PACKAGING CO., A US COMPANY, HAVE TEAMED UP TO DO BUSINESS –AN UNPRECEDENTED MOVE SINCE 1959. THE OWNERS OF BOTH COMPANIES SHARE A BOOTH AT HAVANA INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOW AND TELL THEIR STORY IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH EXCELENCIAS DEL CARIBE MAGAZINE

Ruben Valladares and his wife produce and print containers, such as paper and card bags, paper cones, boxes and other customized products that single out a company or business. Adorgraf, the startup’s name, is a syndicated trader and the state-run sector is its main customer, but it presently stands out as the first private business in Cuba to do business with a US company.
Commonwealth Packaging Co., also a family-run business, provides similar services. “I’ve found Cuba fascinating since I was very young, and I strongly believe that trade relations can back up the policy between both countries,” Michael Maisel, one of the owners of the North American company, said in an exclusive interview with Excelencias del Caribe.
Adorgraf is a peculiar startup within Cuba’s blooming private sector. In addition to having solid legal support since they have already registered their brand, they are given bank credits and they pay their workers by means of magnetic e-cards –some of the conveniences offered by the government in a bid to foster the development of private companies.
The product is also original. “The natural degradation process of our containers takes 4 to 6 months, unlike the 400 years needed by the nylon bags marketed in our stores, with terrible environmental consequences,” Valladares explains.
The entrepreneur describes this relation with a US company as a possibility to upgrade technology and enhance the market. “It’s an opportunity to gain access to raw materials, target a major sector within a loss-making market, introduce cutting-edge technology. We could assess the real possibility to export our product, since they have the market to do so, and something very important: make the dream of getting rid of nylon bags come true,” he beams enthusiastically.
Just a few months ago, it was impossible to think about these ideas; nevertheless, although it is apparently legal, this team is working hard to clear the way.
“US companies are still not allowed to trade with Cuba, but they can legally establish buying and selling relations with the private sector. However, the mechanisms related to shipment, exports and financial transactions are still very restrictive,” Maisel properly underlines as an expert on these issues and a member of Engage Cuba Coalition, which encourages a policy change towards the island by means of lobby groups.
Valladares also points out the hurdles to be cleared by its company in this relationship. “Although the blockade is losing support, it’s still in force and has a negative impact on our economy and on a business like this. However, the US government has unilaterally legislated in favor of this kind of relationship, but the Cuban counterpart still has to decide on this matter, since it’s entitled to legislate as an independent state. I think that this approach between our companies presently stands as an exception, without being categorical. And it’ll have to be charted as such in terms of any official approval procedure while the legal groundwork and framework are created for these cases. More examples will certainly come up from now on.”
The US legislation in force bans Commonwealth Packaging Co. from paying with dollars for Adorgraf’s products, but the Cuban counterpart stops Valladares from individually exporting or importing. But these two harbingers, though, see this scenario as something that’s definitely going to change rather than remain unaltered.
Both Maisel and Valladares feel the empathy between both companies, since both started as mom-and-pop startups. In spite of the maze and endless framework of laws that separate both countries, this is the first time in over fifty years that we can witness how American and Cuban companies can actually team up. Let’s just hope that this is the first of many more cases to come