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Business View Magazine
around it and to create multiple products in multiple
categories like we have. And, because we’ve intro-
duced a variety of different products, we’re able to en-
hance each one of them according to trends, demand,
and customer feedback. We’re continually innovating
and coming out with new products. We just came out
with a resort line of sheets that are second to none.
If you have 600-thread-count, Egyptian cotton sheets,
they don’t compare to our resort line of bed sheets
that we’re now putting in the stores. People are willing
to spend a little bit of money on something that’s soft-
er than cotton and other luxury fabrics, odor resistant,
and a better alternative for the environment.”
Today, Cariloha has about 600 employees and Del Sol,
some 1,800. The privately owned PW Companies still
owns and operates both brands. “We’ve never taken
on an investor,” Pedersen states. “We’ve never giv-
en up equity. We’re competing head-to-head with all
these fast-growing companies out there on the Inc.
500|5000 lists, and we’re doing it without outside
capital. We’re reinvesting our earnings and continuing
to grow organically.”
While the idea of franchising has been explored, Ped-
ersen maintains that it’s more lucrative for the PW
Companies to own its own stores, while also partner-
ing with some independent outlets. “There’s a lot of
margin in opening locations when you’re the manu-
facturer, and you own the entire supply chain all the
way to selling the product,” he says. “We do have some
partner stores that are independent operators. They
can only sell our products and we can only sell to them
in their exclusive territories. We just don’t take a fran-
