Western Caroline Trading Company

Our Story

Western Caroline Trading Company (WCTC), or “West”, as it is locally known, is a testament of true Palauan entrepreneurial spirit, emerging after World War II.

After the war, the United States administered Palau for many years as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The U.S. government, through the U.S. Navy, sought to develop Palau’s economy by encouraging the growth of the private business sector that had been virtually destroyed because of the war. After some initial experiments, first into the importing of livestock, and then into the export of copra, trochus, and handicrafts, the U.S. Naval Administration decided to establish a company to be owned and operated by Palauans. It was because of this, that WCTC was organized on September 21, 1948.

Initially, sixteen individuals, one from each municipality, which later became the states of Palau, were selected to organize the company. Together, they drafted the charter of the Western Caroline Trading Company that was approved by the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands High Commissioner.

At the time, the company’s corporate charter allowed an authorized capital of $100,000 to be raised from the sale of stock shares. The 10,000 shares were to be sold at $10 each; but in the aftermath of the war, very few people could afford to buy them so only 1,096 shares were sold, raising a sum barely over $10,000. Operating out of two Quonset huts at T-Dock, the first officers were able to plant the seed of what WCTC is today.

WCTC is the oldest and largest Palauan corporation with over 450 employees and over 35 business entities. Its main business is grocery retail and wholesale, but its businesses are also diversified: hotels, restaurants, department stores, a hardware store, and car sales, to name a few. The company operates three franchises: ACE Hardware, The Athlete’s Foot, and Ben Franklin Department Store. It also has three subsidiaries: West Plaza Hotels, West Travel Agency, and Palau Brewing Co.