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  • (upbeat accordion music)

  • The purpose of my trip was to highlight

  • the positive attributes of Haiti and its people,

  • but it's impossible to ignore Haiti's ongoing crises.

  • As the poorest country in the western hemisphere,

  • over 50% of Haitians live on less than two dollars a day

  • and the country is plagued by a stagnant economy,

  • government corruption and a lack of healthcare,

  • clean water and education.

  • Add to that the many misconceptions about Haiti

  • that are perpetuated by the media.

  • Take crime, for example.

  • Haiti actually has one of the lowest violent crime rates

  • of any island in the Caribbean.

  • Yet in spite of all these challenges,

  • resilient Haitians are determined to lead their country

  • into a better future.

  • I met with a collective

  • of extraordinary expat business women

  • who have decided to return to their homeland

  • to kickstart the economic recovery of Haiti.

  • I'm standing here with Paula and Margaret

  • and they're part of something

  • that's really incredible here in Haiti, you call it DOT.

  • This is an initiative, a collective.

  • It's all women.

  • Yes.

  • And women are a huge part of the economic resurgence

  • for Haiti, isn't that right?

  • Absolutely.

  • Haitians like to say that women carry the country.

  • Yeah, I have a 14-year-old daughter

  • and every day she tells me women are the future

  • and I think actually the future is now.

  • Hi, what's your name?

  • [Regine] Regine.

  • Hi, Regine, how are you, where are you from?

  • I'm originally, well, from Haiti,

  • but I was born and raised in Boston.

  • I moved back to Haiti when I was 25.

  • And what is it that you're making here?

  • Please tell me alcohol's involved.

  • Alcohol is definitely involved.

  • We produce cocktails, hot sauces,

  • iced teas and cooking sauces.

  • Okay, I'm gonna zero right in on the cocktail.

  • On the cocktail.

  • Just because time is of the essence.

  • So this is a (speaking Haitian Creole).

  • Haitian blackberries with the grapefruit.

  • Okay, a little more.

  • A little more, all right.

  • There's still a little room at the top.

  • Thank you, now we're talking, okay.

  • Here we go.

  • That is really good.

  • I don't wanna stop drinking this.

  • I can give you more.

  • You can have that

  • or you can try the other ones. Now you know what

  • you're doing?

  • You're enabling my disease.

  • This tea is (speaking Haitian Creole)

  • and there's herbs and what it does, it helps men.

  • It helps men?

  • Yeah.

  • In what way does it help men,

  • this tea that you make? It's aphrodisiac.

  • Oh, this is an aphrodisiac?

  • (laughs)

  • I want that tea now.

  • Guel, tell me

  • about yourself, where are you from?

  • I am originally from Haiti, I was born here.

  • I actually moved to the states.

  • I went to Villanova University,

  • a Wildcat. Oh, good for you.

  • Worked at Goldman Sachs, worked at Vanguard,

  • graduated from Harvard Business School.

  • Oh my god.

  • Started a couple of businesses in the states

  • and always knew I wanted to come home.

  • So basically we're the first single-serving

  • prepackaged corn flakes in Haiti.

  • Well, what do you think?

  • These are better than the corn flakes we have in the US.

  • Everyone tells me that.

  • That's actually true.

  • That's where we're gonna be exporting.

  • I would eat this cereal every night in my boxer shorts

  • when I'm watching TV after my wife's gone to sleep.

  • That's a description of our marriage in a nutshell.

  • First, some body oils.

  • Some of them are aphrodisiac.

  • Oh, you have an aphrodisiac oil?

  • 'Cause they just had an aphrodisiac tea.

  • I don't know if it's a coincidence

  • but you are an all-female business

  • and yet I see a theme for aphrodisiacs for men,

  • like you're trying to tell us

  • (laughing)

  • we're not measuring up.

  • Well...

  • (laughing)

  • [Daphnee] What we made is jewelry for women.

  • I would wear that.

  • Your work is beautiful.

  • Thank you.

  • And I'm gonna walk out wearing this.

  • Nice.

  • And I won't pay for it because I'm a very bad man.

  • I look fantastic in this hat.

  • Yeah.

  • This is a hat made--

  • In Haiti. In Haiti by Haitians

  • for a woman worn by a man who's kind of womanish.

  • So I can show you how somehow we work in the hub

  • to finish the product to get it to the market.

  • I can't believe you're keeping a straight face

  • while I wear this hat and talk to you.

  • (laughs)

  • I wanna thank you both very much.

  • It's been an honor meeting you

  • and I just love the work you do and the product's great,

  • so I gotta go.

  • Thank you for coming.

  • Thank you, it was an-- Oh, thank you,

  • it's been an honor

  • to be here today. Honor to host you today.

  • You want some help? No worries,

  • no, I have this.

  • I have it, oh, okay, just put that back up there.

  • That was more your fault than mine.

  • Okay.

  • I'm just gonna get this frog.

  • I get the frog, put the booze in the frog.

  • No, I'm good.

  • For more information about DOT,

  • go to facebook.com/DOT-Haiti.

  • In addition to exporting new products,

  • Haiti may soon unlock its potential

  • as a tourist destination thanks to its natural beauty,

  • including mountains, waterfalls,

  • stunning beaches, historic forts,

  • museums, artist colonies, and a thriving music scene,

  • and I too decided to do my part

  • to promote the Haitian economy.

  • Whenever I visit a new country,

  • it's a little tradition I have,

  • I like to promote the local beer.

  • It's kind of a selfless act.

  • Actually it's not 'cause I'm trying to get free beer

  • and the beer here is Prestige.

  • Regine-- Yes.

  • [Conan] You work with Prestige.

  • Yes.

  • This is important to the Haitian economy, is it not?

  • Absolutely, largest foreign direct investment

  • here in Haiti.

  • I wanna help Haiti as much as I can,

  • so I thought, if you don't mind,

  • I would shoot a quick improvised commercial for Prestige.

  • Oh, we would love that.

  • We're all set and we start by toasting.

  • (bottles clink) (laughing)

  • Oh, man.

  • Hey, Conan O'Brien here.

  • When I'm in Haiti and I'm hanging out

  • with an attractive woman who's pretending to find me funny,

  • I drink Prestige beer.

  • It's the beer to have in Haiti.

  • If it's not Prestige, then shut up.

  • I just made up that slogan, you guys can have it.

  • I like that.

  • Prestige. Thank you.

  • Okay, and then we drink.

  • Yes.

  • And then, if you don't mind,

  • just turn to the camera and say he's hot.

  • He's hot, sexy and funny as hell.

  • That was fantastic.

  • (laughs)

  • Did that work for you?

  • That was fantastic.

  • All right, another toast?

  • Incredible, how many of these did you have?

  • Not enough, not enough. You've had way too many

  • of these.

(upbeat accordion music)

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