AJAW Trade Blog

Sourcing from South America

Nearshoring Apparel Manufacturing: Colombia vs. China

Nearshoring gets pitched as a simple swap. It isn't. Here's what genuinely changes when you move apparel sourcing from China to Colombia, and what stays exactly the same.

Shipping & customs to the US

Importing From Colombia to the US: Duties, the Trade Agreement, and Who Pays What

What the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement actually does to your duty bill, who's legally responsible for the paperwork, and what Colombia's 2025 export numbers to the US actually show, chapter by chapter.

Private label & branding

Private Label Swimwear Manufacturers in Colombia: What to Ask Before You Sign

What separates a real private label swimwear manufacturer in Colombia from a factory that resells its own line, the fabric-sourcing question that decides your US duty bill, and nine questions to get in writing before you sign.

Industry guides

Colombian Coffee Wholesale: Beans, Pricing, and How Buying Direct Works

Colombian coffee wholesale pricing is built from public benchmarks, not a broker's number. How the FNC reference price, the NY "C" contract, the export registry, and US import rules actually work.

Private label & branding

Private Label vs. Contract Manufacturing (Maquila): What's the Difference?

Private label and maquila (contract manufacturing) both mean someone else's factory makes your product, but they answer different questions about control, MOQ, and who owns the tooling. Here's how to tell which one you're negotiating.

Manufacturing in Colombia

Inside a Colombian Faja Factory: How Waist Trainers Are Actually Made

Do Colombian waist trainers actually work, and what does it take to buy them wholesale or private label? Construction, US labeling and flammability rules, and how small the formal export category still is.

Sourcing from South America

Make It in South America, Not China: What Actually Changes for Your Brand

What changes when a private-label buyer moves sourcing from China to Colombia: the trade agreement already in force since 2012, the customs and labeling rules that still apply, and what stays exactly the same.