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In the Beginning, there was VISION

The birth of Renwick & Company is almost synonymous with the emergence of Saint Lucia’s ‘green-gold’ era and is an outstanding reflection of vision, luck, timing and their perfect union.

The year was 1965 and the economic mastermind was Christopher Renwick, who was at the time a mere accounting clerk at the firm Degale and Rapier.

The late Christopher Renwick

It is there and then that he recognized and seized the opportunity to capitalise on a supply need that would inevitably prove crucial to the survival of the then fast-growing industry of banana production.

As with agriculture across the board, the survival of crops is dependent on the quality and we dare say the quantity and access to products developed to allow for their timely and unimpeded growth. This is where pesticides and weed control become essential.

Joining hands with then partner and close friend Denis Bernard, Christopher Renwick took the leap of certainty and breathed life into what is today recognized as the formidable authority in the industry of agriculture and gardening, Renwick & Co. – venturing to import and distribute agricultural chemicals.

The undertaking began with a monthly capital injection of $600. Its value today is one that we will leave for another discussion.

As history would prove, Renwick & Co. skyrocketed with the sale of the ever-popular weed killer, Gramoxone, which staggered farmers with its effectiveness and reliability. And Renwick was its only handler.

But as any good visionary would have it, Christopher Renwick opted for diversification and by his second year of operation did the unthinkable and went in the direction automobile tires, building materials and electrical appliances – a far stretch from what was. Not long after this bold move did he decide to forfeit the latter of the three adventures.

Three years down the line the Renwick doors were opened to welcome a new partner to the table – T. Geddes Grant, a Trinidadian company, in 1968. This is the same year the company moved into its Vide Bouteille location, where it remains today.

This regional alliance allowed for brands like Gillette, galvanized sheeting, plywood, and cement to be added to the Renwick portfolio during a 15-year pact that culminated in1981.

Before 1985, a full 20 years after the Renwick Empire laid its first block, construction partner Denis Barnard departed and his shares in the company was fittingly purchased by his long-time business partner Christopher Renwick, giving him full ownership of the company he founded.

Today, after 50 years of action, Renwick boasts seven departments including its flagship Garden Centre, pharmaceuticals, office furniture and paper, grocery lines, cement and other building materials.