Who owns pure fiji

For Pure Fiji, however, it is lucky enough because of their strong business connections with China. Directors of Pure Fiji, Gaetane Austin and Andree Austin therefor have recently sent a letter of thanks to Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Qian Bo for the embassy's support to promote the company's products and its sales in China in recent months. The sudden outbreak of COVID has taken a heavy toll on countries around the world and people are confronted by a growing set of challenges," the letter read.

The two directors also expressed their confidence in the Chinese market and their willingness to participate in the coming third China International Import Expo CIIE which will be held in Shanghai in November this year.

The Chinese ambassador has written back to Pure Fiji, saying that he is very pleased to learn that the company is expanding its cosmetic market in China and is able to provide many jobs for Fijians during this tough time. Praising Pure Fiji for its high quality product, Qian said the Chinese Embassy has been all along helping to promote the products both in Fiji and China. The ambassador also encouraged Pure Fiji to continue taking the advantage of the CIIE and other platforms, and contribute to the China-Fiji trade cooperation.

The success rate of export has widely increased in the years. The secret behind maintaining the success rate in both the markets is the hard work. She assured Pure Fiji will continue to introduce new innovative products to the markets and they have started this with a new addition their sister brand, Reniu, which they re-launched a few months back.

By entering your email address you're giving us permission to send you news and offers. You can opt-out at any time. Lifestyle Health Travel. Magazines Rugby News Sunwheels. To commercialize these oils into products, the oil must first be extracted, and three main methods exist: solvent, supercritical carbon dioxide, and pressed with or without added heat.

Solvent is the most common, but uses a chemical agent typically hexane , which is derived from petroleum that can leave potentially harmful residue. Many natural minerals are also lost during the process. Pressed extraction — in which the nut or other ingredient is ground and pressed — is cost effective and, when heat is applied, quick and efficient.

In Fiji, the Food Safety Regulations of state that cold pressed oils can only be obtained without direct application of heat. While typical cold pressing brings with it many benefits such as cost-effectiveness and high quality , something else was needed. While these communities use traditional extraction techniques, the resulting oil has a very brief shelf life and would not be feasible for export.

Typical cold pressing could be used, but it requires large, expensive machinery that needs regular maintenance, and installing and maintaining such equipment in rural communities throughout the country meant that it was not a feasible option for Pure Fiji.

Dan Etherington. The DME method uses simple, affordable equipment to quickly produce small and manageable daily batches of oil that are ready for sale to companies such as Pure Fiji.

Once dried, the material is manually pressed into a vertical cylinder to extract the oil, which retains most of its natural nutrients, aroma, and color and has a long shelf life. Striving to leave as little waste as possible, leftover materials such as shells from nuts and the pressed paste are milled into fertilizer.

Moreover, in the case of harvesting ingredients, only the nut, fruit, flowers, or branches of a plant are used, the rest remaining untouched. In the case of nuts in particular, only those that naturally fall to the ground are harvested. To ensure sustainability many trees and plants are left alone and new ones are regularly planted, which guarantees future supply while allowing the company to abstain from large-scale irrigation and cultivation.

Before a product is manufactured, the raw materials are inspected, tested, and a sample of the finished product is produced. Once approved, the rest of the batch is produced and personally inspected before it is ready for shipping.

By , Pure Fiji was producing and exporting products in ten different categories. For women in many rural communities in Fiji, there is limited access to employment opportunities, educational and health care services, and a secure supply of balanced food for themselves and their families.

Recognizing this, Pure Fiji launched initiatives to help two such small communities with populations between and , particularly Makoi , located on the outskirts of Suva, and the remote community of Wai-ni-Makutu , located in Namosi province west of the capital. To reflect the natural ingredients in their products and their Fijian origin, many are packaged in colorful paper.

Initially importing this paper from the Republic of Indonesia, the Austins realized that the resources necessary to produce handmade paper were available at home in Fiji and that it would be ideal for a community-based supplier initiative.

Fijians have a long and rich history of using the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree broussonetia papyifera to hand make masi or tapa cloth , which is a cloth used for traditional ceremonies. When masi are produced, the outer bark remains unused and is discarded. The Austins surmised that if these leftovers are harvested and combined with other organic pulps from local plants and trees such as bamboo, sugar cane, and pineapple leaves , it could be used to make natural and beautiful handmade paper.

With the help of the New Zealand High Commission of Fiji and the Centre for the Development of Enterprise an international organization that provides non-financial services to African, Caribbean, and Pacific enterprises , Pure Fiji recruited an expert from New Zealand to teach women in the Wai-ni-Makutu community how to make paper of a high quality that can be internationally competitive. Called the Pepa Ni Viti project, the company set up a processing plant, complete with the required equipment, and provided the necessary training.

As a result, women in the community became skilled paper makers. They are able to complete all steps of the production process, from sourcing the correct natural ingredients to the final steps of dying and testing the paper. Previously unemployed, women participating in the project create between 1, and 5, sheets of paper per week in two types: thicker sheets for bags and thinner sheets for wrapping products.

Thanks to this initiative, these women — and many of their relatives who have joined in the sourcing and processing — have not only been able to make a high quality product appreciated by consumers around the world, but have also been able to increase their livelihood. Empowered by this change, women involved in this project have used their newfound income to significantly help their communities.

For example, they were able to install a generator, providing electricity which brought with it access to pumped water, which is very important for the public health and food security of the community. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, poor access to water represents a critical constraint to adequate food production and is a major cause of poverty and hunger. Increased income and access to electricity also allowed the community access to a refrigerator and freezer.

This has brought significant public health benefits, as people are able to access previously unattainable food such as items that require preservation in a refrigerator or freezer , have a more balanced diet throughout the year, and enjoy increased food security.

Refrigeration ensures the safety of perishable food items of plant and animal origin, substantially reducing bacterial growth and foodborne diseases. This benefits all members of the community, helping to provide a balanced, safe diet, and keep people properly nourished.

In addition, the paper production initiative has helped pay for the construction of new educational facilities. New classrooms and a library were added to a secondary school in Wai-ni-Makutu , increasing access to education for over children.

On a trip to the markets in Suva one would be able to find woven baskets for sale by women from Makoi village. While they are skilled weavers, on a good day they would only be able to sell a few baskets. Pure Fiji saw an opportunity to tap into their talent to launch another initiative that not only provided the company with a supply of woven baskets, but also provided the women with increased income and a better quality of life.

The company uses woven baskets as a container for some of its product lines or at special events, such as at the Emmys Instead of importing these baskets, the company created a partnership with the weavers of Makoi.