Richlu Manufacturing has been making fabric face masks to fight against the spread of the coronavirus, and their masks are now being distributed all across Canada and the United States. "We just made masks for The City of Chicago, Public Works. We were able to match the colour of the mask to their uniform," says Gavin Rich, President of Richlu Manufacturing.
 

 
Rich explains that the company initially got involved in making masks in late March because it needed masks for its own employees and saw an opportunity to help the community. "We are an essential service so we started making fabric masks for our employees working in our factory and warehouse. We also saw a major need in our communities to help front line workers and volunteers helping those most in need. As a result, we donated masks to organizations like the Main Street Project, Agape Table, Siloam Mission and organizations across Canada."
 

 
After making the masks and donating them, Richlu realized there was significant consumer demand for their masks, which Rich describes as having "a double layer of fabric."
 

 
"Our masks are meant to withstand a full day’s work on a construction site, in a factory or in an industrial setting. A lot of companies are buying them for their front line workers." Rich notes.  "The retail demand for the masks is overwhelming," he adds.
 

 
"For example, in Ontario and Quebec, construction sites are now open. Many construction workers are required to wear masks and so we are providing them to construction companies," Rich says.
 
Rich says "We're making a product that help's the country's economy and we're helping people get back to work." 
 

 
He points out that "Approximately half of our factory capacity is dedicated to making masks." The retail price of a mask is between $8-10.
 
Rich notes that "Many apparel companies have stepped up to make a contribution to fight the spread of COVID-19. We are proud to be one of them. Repurposing our manufacturing facility to help those battling COVID-19 on the front line is a key way we can do our part.
 
"We've also made donations of cut gowns to Doctors of Manitoba and others. We've delivered the cut gowns to a network of volunteer sewers who then sewed them together," Rich adds