About us

Captura Aid and Trade AS (“CATas”) is a Norwegian limited company incorporated in October 2023 mainly for supporting young Cubans in starting their own MSME (MicroSmall or Medium Entity) or personal company. This to enable them to earn a decent income for themselves and their families, remain in their home country, and contribute to building their community instead of emigrating. This is a response to the massive emigration and brain drain from Cuba in recent years, caused by poverty, shortages of food, medicine, energy and transportation, and a sense of hopelessness about the future. We want to contribute to a mindset of “Cuba – a future full of hope.”

CATas has started with a core team of five Cubans to build and test procedures, logistics and methods, and we will then expand with more partners at various levels as we go along. The goal is to help create several thousand sustainable small businesses and jobs.

«Task force» - Captura Aid and Trade AS«Task force» - Captura Aid and Trade AS

 

One of our main areas of focus is sale, installation and maintenance of solar systems for private individuals, businesses and organizations. Cuba has electricity rationing and daily power cuts that can last 10-20 hours, so these are goods that are in high demand. CATas offers clean and stable energy at an affordable price. We purchase complete systems from the manufacturer Bluesun Solar in China and send full containers directly to Cuba. There, CATas sells the systems to small private entities that resell them to end customers. The small businesses also carry out installation and servicing.

In the spring of 2024, our people helped install eight systems in four cities in Cuba as part of an aid shipment organized by Normisjon. In April-May 2025, two shipments with a total of 43 complete solar cell systems (panels, batteries, and inverters) was delivered to Cuba. A large portion of these is now in full operation or in the process of being sold and installed.

In April 2025, CATas was awarded the contract for a major solar system installation at the Norwegian embassy in Havana, competing against several other companies. This will be installed in autumn 2025 and will be an important reference. Several of our small companies are now recruiting people to install such systems and are organizing training to have more people certified as solar system installers.

70-80% of the food consumed in Cuba is imported, while much of what is grown is lost because producers lack packaging, cold storage, and other necessary resources. We import glass jars and bottles for honey, jam, juice and yogurt so that small producers can process and sell a larger portion of their goods in a presentable manner and at good prices.

In relation to the UN's sustainability goals, our main focus is on goal number 8, to create decent work and economic growth. In doing so, we also contribute to eradicating poverty and hunger. As described above, this is largely achieved by offering solar cell systems to provide clean and stable energy (sustainability goal number 7).

8. Decent Work and Economic Growth8. Decent Work and Economic Growth   7. Affordable and Clean Energy7. Affordable and Clean Energy   1. No Poverty1. No Poverty   2. Zero Hunger2. Zero Hunger

CATas has established Code of conduct for our employees and partners. The English version of the guidelines can be found at the following link.

We are also working to establish a simple 6-month “business school” from 2026, in collaboration with a Swedish organization and local partners in Cuba. We are also looking at the possibilities of establishing a bachelor's and later a master's degree in “Management and Economics” together with partners.

The company's Board of directors and Management

Board

  • Bjørn Aril Veland (Chair). Business economist. Sales director at M&O Norway.
  • Arve Bjerga (Deputy chair). Electrical installer. Managing director at Svithun Elektro AS.
  • Aleksander Hatlem. Associate lawyer at Elden Advokatfirma AS.
  • Magne Supphellen. MSc. in Business and Dr. Oecon in Marketing. Professor at NHH (Norwegian school of Economics and Business administration)
  • Marita Bjerga. Social scientist with expertise in Spanish, international development, religion, and intercultural communication. Area leader in the Refugee Service of Stavanger municipality.

Deputy Board members

  • Dag Kjosavik. Civil engineer. NTNU. Retired. Extensive industrial experience. Former board member of Viator.
  • Carl Jacob Rørvik. Marine biologist and retired teacher.

General Manager (and Deputy board member)

  • Kjell Ove Hatlem. MSc. of BA from NHH with more than 40 years of broad international business experience and over 40 visits to Cuba from 2005 to 2025.