History Of Agostini's Ltd

During the last seventy five years, Agostini's Limited has been involved in many aspects of business in Trinidad.

In 1933 an Insurance Division was formed and later in 1938 when George Farah joined the company, the division was expanded to handle all classes of insurance. Later this division would be divested.

In the late 1930's the Company diversified from an indent type of business into the distribution area which is still one of its principal activities. The early products included "Carlings" beer, "Arrow" shirts and "Standard" brand condensed milk.

In the 1950's the Company continued adding to the list of products it distributed, with the addition of pharmaceutical lines from Hoffman La Roche, Wyeth Ayerst and Ciba Geigy. Later May & Baker, Eli Lilly, Rhone Poulenc, A.H.Robbins, Sanofi/Winthrop, Lederle and Zeneca would be added.

Numerous products from Procter and Gamble, including Tide detergent, Clorox bleach and Crest toothpaste were also early products carried by Agostini's.

In 1951 DuPont refrigerants and propellants joined the list while our hardware section grew with the addition of plywood and a range of carpets, floorings, partitions and Armstrong flooring and ceilings. Later Corning Ware and Sunbeam products joined the list of products sold by Agostini's.

In 1970 Agostini's began to expand and formed Agos Manufacturing Limited to produce fluorescent lighting fixtures. Today the company manufacturers many different fixtures and exports them to customers throughout Caricom and the USA.

In 1984 the Company acquired Hilti W.L.Yearwood Limited, a company that exclusively markets the industrial range of Hilti products. This company’s name has since been changed to Agostini's Fastening Systems and now also markets Atlas explosives, Sig and Ruger small arms and a range of ammunition.

In 1986 an associate company - Dafoe & Dafoe (Trinidad) Limited was formed in conjunction with a Canadian Company and another local investor to manufacture "Cheekies" disposable diapers and “Fancy Free” feminine napkins.

Agostini's has since acquired 100% shareholding in this company which is now known as Agostini Industries Limited. In late 1991 the company moved to a new manufacturing complex built on ten (10) acres of land at El Socorro South.

In 1993 the Group acquired Gordon Grant Trading Limited, a distribution company specialising in the sale of Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceutical Chemicals and Veterinary products. The company has been renamed "Agostini Pharmaceutical Limited" and all of the pharmaceutical lines previously handled by Agostini Marketing have been transferred to this company, which is now one of the largest Pharmaceutical Distribution companies in Trinidad & Tobago.

In 1995 Agostini's acquired a majority shareholding in Rosco Sales Limited, a company involved in the oilfield supply business. In December 2000, this company acquired Petroavance Trinidad Limited, which was amalgamated with Rosco Sales Limited on August 1st 2001.

While several major new product lines, such as Sherwin Williams Paints and the Grace food range, have been added over the past few years, the Company's largest expansion in recent year's has been into the housing construction arena. The Agostini's Group celebrated its eightieth anniversary in 2005.