The Danish West India Company was a trading company established in 1671 by Denmark to promote commerce in the Caribbean. Its primary focus was on the sugar trade, particularly from the islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix. The company aimed to compete with other European powers in the lucrative transatlantic trade. The company played a significant role in the colonization of the Danish West Indies, facilitating the importation of enslaved Africans to work on plantations. However, it struggled financially and was dissolved in 1754, leading to direct control of the islands by the Danish crown.