Schunck's Kledingindustrie Bonaire

Preparations for the operation of this company would also result in better electricity and water supplies; eventually it would account for half the exports of the island.

So he turned to governor Piet Kasteel, asking him to provide the basic necessities, most importantly water and electricity.

As a warning, the lights started blinking at 23.30 h. Production focused on company clothing for large companies like Shell (a major employer on Curaçao) and uniforms for police and customs officials[1] and the initial production capacity was 700 overalls, 300 trousers and 400 shirts, with a 45-hour work week.

As a result of the high cost of education and health care, and lack of support from the Antillian government, the company had to be liquidated in 1954.

But because closing the factory would cause serious unemployment, the Dutch government took over the company, and from 1955 to 1960 it operated under the name Bocofa (Bonaire Confectie Fabriek) N.V.

In the early 1980s, the company had received a blow from the closing of the Shell and Lago refineries on Curaçao and Aruba, two important customers, and the number of employees had dropped to just 74.

The Antillian government sold the company to Texport/Unitex for only a quarter of the estimated value of 1,250,000 guilders, to ensure continued employment for the women.

But for the women of Bonaire, who constituted a large part of the population, it was a blessing because it made them economically independent and socially emancipated.