For several years now there has been major growth in micro-enterprises in Latvia, primarily because the authorities have made them easy to create, but also because the country appreciates that SMEs are the main drivers of economic growth. <br /><br />Organic cosmetics designed and made in Riga; that is the business of Kiwi, one micro-enterprise that has seen stunning success in just three years. Starting at a modest 25,000 euros, annual turnover it has increased tenfold and is set to reach 250,000 euros this year. <br /><br />“We started with 2 people in a small space with 6 products… Now, we are up to 12. We have more than 30 products in range and we are exporting to 14 countries,” says Agate Kanca CEO of Kivvi Cosmetics<br /><br />To develop their range Agate and her colleagues launched a line of products for beauty trade practitioners. Agate believes it was Latvia’s support for micro-enterprises that made this possible: “For micro-enterprises, tax policy is very attractive: it is only 9% that you have to pay from your turnover… The second very attractive aspect is the very simple accounting system. You can even do it by yourselves,” she explains.<br /><br />This aid for micro-enterprises was driven by Latvia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Its success has been rewarded with the Grand Jury Prize of the ==
