BlackHouse Kava Project
Bula, my name is Etika Naitini and I currently manage a small land development project in Suva, Fiji.
To give back to my community I’ve been working on what I call, the BlackHouse Kava Project. Blackhouse is a reference to where my grandparents settled when they first moved from the village to Suva, with their 6 sons in search of a better life. It was one of first housing development projects for low-middle income workers where tenants could "rent to own" their homes. The overcrowded housing projects brought with it its own problems, but with hard work and perseverance and looking out for one another, our families we were able to progress with life, education, employment, and most of our families have even migrated overseas.
The Blackhouse Kava Project is my way of offering a hand to those who may need some assistance to improve their livelihood, as we all do in life. This project involves engaging interested individuals who do not have full time employment, to get into the business of kava retailing, while working from home.
My partners at the moment include, two stay at home moms, two youths, two, part time working mothers, and a retired widow. I look after all the logistics, which includes buying the kava from the local market, the pounding, packing and delivery. This adds convenience to my retail partners to just focus on retail, where they receive 55% of the profits for all kava that they sell.
But it doesn’t end here.
Through the assistance of UNDP and StartSomeGood Australia, I developed a plan for the next step in this project, which is to be able to go direct to the villages, bypass the middleman and buy directly from the kava farmers.
It is one thing to retail good quality kava. But I also want to help the farmers.
Why am I doing this?
Not all farmers have the means to regularly travel to the market to sell their kava, and this is partly due to the distance from the market, transport availability and travelling costs. These farmers are at the mercy of buyers who are able to visit them at their farms. So for the farmers, without being able to compare prices, it is the buyers who eventually determine the price.
I want to be able to help small scale farmers to provide them with the fixed, fair rate for their kava despite the market fluctuations, and also despite the farmers limitation to reach the market. I can do this because I am going from the farmers direct to retailing, so there is no need for the extra mark up in retail prices or demanding a lower price from the farmers.
Another reason why I want to get involved, is that kava is highly consumed in our social and traditional gatherings. It is important therefore that good, quality kava is made available and affordable to the local community. For me to do this would mean working together with interested farmers, developing and agreeing on a standard work process to follow with regards to harvesting, cleaning and drying of kava, in order to ensure a standard quality output.
Blackhouse Kava Logo. Representing unity, perseverance and working together to be better.
Ultimately I will want to open a proper kava retail shop, where i can also continue and pack kava for my other retailers, but also offer other varieties of kava products. In addition to this I will definitely want to try out the export market, and also look into other products which can be sourced from the villages. These products include, honey, virgin oil and sea cucumbers to name a few.
Why Kava?
Fiji produces around 4,700 tonnes of dried kava per year and exports averages about 218 tonnes per year. The rest is consumed locally bringing the value of local consumption to be around FJD $370 million per year. You can say the local kava business is thriving. For me, this was the best product to start with in wanting to help the villages.
Why Me?
On one of my last projects I worked on, I was based in the rural area for a year. I had the opportunity to live & interact with the local community, mostly made up of farmers who talked about their kava and the struggles they faced in looking for a steady market so they can have a regular income.
I am aware of the difference in prices between buying from the farmers and buying from the middleman at the market. I have developed the necessary networks in the rural community that will support me during this venture.
I am currently involved in the kava retailing which i have managed to expand not just revenue but also my retailers. With my experience, knowledge, networks and determinations, I am now ready to jump to the next level and go back to buying directly from the farmers.
How can you help?
Every donation to reach the goal will mean one-step closer to small-scale farmers earning a steady livelihood. Farmers will be one-step closer to getting a guaranteed fair price for their kava.
It is one step closer to creating employment opportunities for interested individuals in the towns.
Your donation will make it possible to change the lives of everyday farmers forever causing a ripple effect in the Fijian communities.
Rewards
As a token of my appreciation for your donations, a range of thank you gifts are available and will be sent your way.
A range and handcrafted and designed tanoa of various sizes used will be used as rewards to remember your kind donation and support for a good cause.
Thank you for taking the time to hear me out. I appreciate any donation you would like to make towards this project and I hope that you will share this to your family and friends.
