I started in Canada in 1995. We were grading around 50,000 pounds every day. We were buying from Value Village, the Salvation Army, everybody. Then in 1999-2000, the Canadian dollar started to strengthen and our viability was not there. Many people closed down.
I decided to take it to the country where labour is cheap. I applied with the Ministry of Commerce to get a duty-free licence. I can import used clothing into India, use Indian labels, and get cheap warehousing. There was no tax for the first 10 years. They gave us a tax break for the first 10 years. I'm buying used clothing from Value Village, the Salvation Army, Goodwill. They are leftovers from the charities. The Salvation Army, for example, receives clothing donations, sorts them, puts price-tags on them, and tries to sell them in their thrift stores. Whatever they can't sell, whatever they would throw away, the leftovers and the damaged items, they sell to me by weight. I turn that clothing into money. I buy from them and ship them.... I sort and grade in Vancouver and Toronto, and extra containers—150 containers—I ship to the plant in India, grade them there, and ship them to Africa. I have my own outlets in Africa. I sell them in Africa, bring the dollars to India, and from India to Canada.