Who we are
A manufacturing partner, not a job shop.
A&T Nicaragua, S.A. is the manufacturing and distribution facility of Cupid Intimates — producing intimate apparel, activewear, medical wear and post-surgical garments from Masaya, Nicaragua since 1995.
We are a vertically integrated apparel manufacturer built around a simple idea: if every stage of production sits under one roof, quality stops being something you inspect for at the end and becomes something you engineer in from the start.
Our 16,000 m² plant in Masaya runs the full process — 3-D design software and automated marker making, Tukatech, Gerber and laser cutting, three distinct sewing systems, patented silicone technologies, fabric molding, bonding and sew-free construction, pad print and heat seal — through to final quality control, packing, picking and export documentation.
That integration is what lets us take on constructions other plants decline: wired and non-wire bras, moulded and bonded shapewear, seam-sealed recovery garments. Complex operations get their own attachments, accessories and machinery, prepared during a three-phase sew test before the style is ever released to a line.
We produce for a family of owned brands — Cupid, TC, Naomi & Nicole, Sleek Essentials by TC and Girl Power by TC — alongside private-label programs for leading U.S. retailers, national brands and medical-apparel companies. Several of those programs have run continuously for more than ten years.
Working conditions matter to that record. The production floor is air-conditioned and equipped with modern machinery, fully compliant with local and international safety and security norms, and independently audited against WRAP's Platinum standard — its highest level.
The air-conditioned production floor in Masaya. Three sewing systems — line, modules and skill centre — are matched to the complexity of each style.
In-line audit. Defects are caught and repaired before pieces reach final inspection.
Facility snapshot
The plant, in numbers.
Established
1995 Parent company Cupid Intimates founded 1942
Location
Masaya, Nicaragua
Size
16,000 m² production floor ≈172,000 ft², air-conditioned, with additional space for 50% growth
Employees
~1,000 on site
Capacity
1,500,000 pieces per month Current output, with room for 50% additional growth
Products
Intimate apparel — shapewear, panties, bras (wired, non-wire, sport). Activewear — hoodies, jogger pants, boxer briefs, t-shirts. Medical apparel — scrubs, surgical gowns. Post-surgical & recovery garments.
Certifications
ISO 9001:2015 · WRAP Platinum · C-TPAT Tier III · FDA-registered · Higg Index (SGS validated) OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate in process
Group
A Cupid Intimates company Design in Bethlehem PA · distribution in Blackwell OK and Zacatecas, Mexico
Heritage
Eighty years of garment making, thirty of it here.
1942
Cupid Intimates is founded
The parent company begins as an intimate-apparel house in the United States, building the brand portfolio and retail relationships our plant produces for today.
1995
A&T Nicaragua begins operations
Manufacturing starts in Masaya, Nicaragua, establishing the group's production and distribution base in Central America.
2000s
Vertical integration and specialty technology
Investment in 3-D design and automated marker making, laser cutting, patented silicone technologies, fabric molding and bonding / sew-free construction extends the plant beyond conventional cut-and-sew.
2010s
Compliance stack and long-run programs
ISO 9001 quality management, WRAP Platinum social compliance and C-TPAT Tier III supply-chain security are certified and maintained. Retail sustainability partnerships pass the ten-year mark.
Today
Four categories, 1.5 million pieces a month
Intimate apparel, activewear, medical apparel and an FDA-registered post-surgical recovery line, with capacity for 50% additional growth and ISO 14001 in progress.
Our plant
Facility & people.
16,000 m² of air-conditioned production space equipped with modern machinery, fully compliant with local and international safety and security standards. The plant's working conditions are among the best in the area.
Safety, security and readiness
- First aid team & fire brigade — an on-site team trained and ready to respond.
- Regular fire evacuation practice — employees rehearse evacuation procedures routinely.
- Ongoing security audits — independent audits validate facility security controls under C-TPAT Tier III.
- 5S discipline — maintained across warehousing, cutting, sewing and packing at all times.
- WRAP Platinum — the highest level of the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production programme, reflecting sustained compliance and worker wellbeing.
Certifications & compliance
Independently audited on quality, labour, security and substances.
Every certification below is held by this facility and maintained through recurring third-party audit — not asserted at group level.
Quality management system
ISO 9001:2015
Certified by ICONTEC / IQNET
Our quality management system is certified to ISO 9001:2015 — the international standard for consistent, documented, continuously improved process control. It is the framework behind our sew tests, inspection reporting and indicator analysis.
Certified
Social compliance
WRAP — Platinum
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production
Platinum is WRAP's highest level, awarded only to facilities with a sustained record of compliance across labour practice, health and safety, environment and customs. It is earned over consecutive audit cycles, not in a single pass.
Platinum level
Supply chain security
C-TPAT — Tier III
Certified and validated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Tier III is the highest status in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, reserved for partners exceeding the programme's minimum security criteria. For our customers it means fewer inspections, faster border clearance and a documented chain of custody from our packing line to the port.
Tier III validated
Sustainability system
Higg Index — FEM
Facility Environmental Module, validated by SGS
We measure and disclose the facility's environmental performance through the Higg Facility Environmental Module, with results independently validated by SGS across environmental and social sustainability impacts.
SGS validated
Restricted substances
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Testing for harmful substances in finished garments
Standard 100 verifies that every component of a finished garment — fabric, thread, trims, prints — is free of harmful substances at levels set for its intended use. Our certificate is currently in process.
Certificate in processMedical device manufacturing
FDA-registered facility
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Our facility is registered with the U.S. FDA, which is what allows us to manufacture post-surgical and recovery garments — and surgical gowns to protective-wear standards — for medical and healthcare-apparel partners.
RegisteredSustainability
Our sustainability journey.
A long-term commitment to reducing environmental impact across our supply chain — measured, disclosed, and improved year over year.
- Identify and manage the facility's significant environmental impacts.
- Evaluate long-term environmental management opportunities.
- Ensure ongoing compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
- Engage supply chain partners to measure environmental performance.
- Build stakeholder commitment across the Cupid organization.
- Working toward ISO 14001 certification.
We have also run sustainability improvement programmes with major retail partners — including one relationship spanning more than ten years.
Recognition & disclosure
Higg Index
Facility Environmental Module — verified module, Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
CDP
Climate disclosure and action through the global environmental disclosure system.
THESIS
Sustainability assessment through The Sustainability Consortium's THESIS index.
Giga Guru
Recognised for emissions-reduction contribution under Project Gigaton.
Where we operate
Our global manufacturing network.
Design in Pennsylvania, manufacturing in Nicaragua, distribution into the USA, Canada, Europe and Mexico.
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Masaya · Nicaragua
A&T Nicaragua, S.A.
Manufacturing & distribution — the facility described on this site.
This facility -
Bethlehem, PA · USA
Cupid Design
Design studio and product development.
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Blackwell, OK · USA
Cupid Foundations
Distribution centre for the USA, Canada and Europe.
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Zacatecas · Mexico
Cu Foundations, S.A. de C.V.
Regional distribution centre for Mexico.
Masaya sits roughly 30 km from Managua, with sea access via Corinto on the Pacific and short transit times to U.S. Gulf and East Coast ports.
Next step
See what the plant can do.
Our capabilities page walks through the equipment, the process and the quality gates in detail — or talk to us directly about your programme.