MELEKEOK and KOROR — Hundreds of new businesses are licensed to open this year in Palau. While no official announcement of an opening date has been made, among them will be the newest venture of Western Caroline Trading Co. — one of the oldest businesses in Palau.
The West Melekeok complex will offer groceries and food, gas and hardware goods. Photos by Oyaol NgirairiklThe new West Melekeok has the community buzzing already. Just by the turn leading to the nation’s capital of Ngerulmud there were recently blue and yellow WCTC signs that show the center will offer a variety of items, from groceries and ready-to-eat meals to gasoline and hardware equipment. Construction is ongoing.
“I think it is great for the folks in Babeldaob,” said resident Bernie Ngiralmau. West Melekeok will be located, as the name indicates, in Melekeok in the northern island of Babeldaob. Currently small stores and gas stations are found within the village proper and sparingly along the Compact Road from Airai. Most shopping is done in Koror or Airai at one of the other WCTC stores or at Surangel’s Super Center.
With the high cost of gas in Palau, where a gallon of unleaded fuel is about $7, people living in the north will find some relief from driving more than 30 minutes to reach the nearest large store. “It’s timely due to the price of fuel and goods,” Ngiralmau said.
G&Z’s Café & Laundromat in Airai is readying to open doors to residents. WCTC won’t be the only business opening its doors to customers in the next few months. More than 431 businesses are licensed to open in Palau in 2023, according to business license data from the Bureau of Revenue and Taxation at the Ministry of Finance.
Among those businesses is the Cro.fe café in the heart of Koror — which still houses the largest population of Palau’s residences and businesses. Cro.fe is situated in the building next to Palau Community College on the second floor, next door to the Australian Embassy and one floor up from the Bank of Guam.
Palau’s newest café offers a variety of pastries. Buttery croissants are served with jelly and butter, or as the basis of tasty ham and cheese or vegetarian sandwiches.
The coffee shop also boasts wi-fi connectivity, something not all coffee shops or restaurants in Palau offer. It also has a meeting room that comfortably seats about 10 and has a TV screen for presentations. A soft opening on Sept. 15 attracted dozens of people from nearby homes, schools and businesses.
“I enjoy coffee and pastries … this is a nice option to have,” said coffee-lover and nearby resident Dee Yamada. She sampled a latte and a croissant sandwich, which she said were “pretty good.” Yamada said it is nice to see new businesses opening and offering a wider variety of foods and services.
Dozens of Palau residents showed up at the soft opening of Cro.fe in Koror on Sept. 15. In Airai, a laundry service has an “opening soon” sign. But many of the new business ventures that are opening are restaurants or food-related food businesses. Not only do they provide residents with more options as Yamada and Ngiralmau said, they also mean jobs and renewed vigor in the local economy.
West Melekeok is a venture of the Western Caroline Trading Co., also commonly called West, which is one of the oldest companies in Palau, having started after World War II, operating out of two Quonset huts at T-Dock in Koror. The company has since grown and has more than 450 employees and more than 35 business entities. Its primary businesses of grocery retail and wholesale are what will be seen in Melekeok. The expansion through the decades has included hotels, restaurants, department stores, hardware stores and air sales. The company operates three franchises: Ace Hardware, The Athlete’s Foot, and Ben Franklin Department Store. WCTC also has three subsidiaries, West Plaza Hotels, West Travel Agency and the Palau Brewing Co.
It was originally established with the help of the U.S. Naval Administration since Palau was a trust territory of the U.S. The intent of the company was to have it owned and operated by Palauans as a way of growing the local private business sector. There were 16 individuals, one from each municipality (now recognized as states) who were selected to organize what is now WCTC with a charter that allowed 10,000 shares sold at $10 each. In the aftermath of war, not everyone could afford that so only 1,096 shares were sold, raising just over $10,000. mbj
