1. Could you begin by telling us the story behind Pure Fiji and the vision that led you to build the company? How has the business evolved since its beginning?
We began on our kitchen table 30 years ago, starting out by wrapping soaps. After that, we began supplying Fiji Airways, making their business-class kits out of masi, the traditional bark cloth that Fijians make. We shaped them like a whale's tooth, which is called a tambua in Fiji, so the business class was called Tambua Class. We also made children's kits with a storybook and coloring book about Fijian animals.
Then we met a scientist at the university who had developed a DME machine, direct micro-expulsion, that could extract coconut oil without heat. It could even be done at the village level without electricity. We were the first company to bottle coconut oil in Fiji, and we pioneered the virgin coconut oil movement in skincare.
In 2000, we saw demand for our products in the U.S. spa industry, and that's when we changed our name to Pure Fiji. We developed a botanical blend using virgin coconut oil and Dilo oil, Sikeci oil and macadamia oil, which had been forgotten despite having been used in Fiji for centuries.
We also pioneered a handmade paper industry in the highlands of Fiji, in Namosi. It became a sustainable women's project involving about 100 people from a village. The women produce the paper using local fibers and botanicals, and the income has helped them establish a village store and improve their communities.
2. Pure Fiji has become closely associated with Fiji's natural beauty and premium botanical products. How do you transform Fiji's natural resources and traditional knowledge into products with international appeal?
One of the things we did was pioneer virgin coconut oil. Coconut oil had always been used in the islands, but virgin coconut oil was a new technology that we introduced. We also reintroduced Dilo oil, which had not been widely used for some time.
We developed hydrosols as well, extracting them from leaves and incorporating them into our skincare products. Fijian medicinal leaves have always been used as poultices for wounds, but we took traditional knowledge and combined it with technology to extract the hydrosol from the leaves.
We also use leaves in our soap making and make herbal presses for spas.
3. What differentiates Pure Fiji in the highly competitive global market for natural cosmetics and wellness products? How important are authenticity, quality, and the connection to Fiji in building the brand?
We are made in Fiji. There are brands out there that have the Fiji name but are made in Los Angeles or elsewhere. We are authentic. We've been making our products in Fiji for 30 years, and we would never change that.
Fiji is our home. Our roots are very deep in Fiji. I'm third generation. My grandfather had a coconut estate here, and our family has been connected to Fiji for generations.
4. The U.S. is a major market for beauty and wellness products. What opportunities do you see to further grow Pure Fiji's presence among American consumers, particularly on the U.S. West Coast?
The West Coast is a very good market for us because it is close to Fiji and there are a lot of tourists who come to Fiji. We are primarily a spa brand, and we're sold into spas in the United States.
We are not a mass-market brand, and we want to keep that premium status. We've been doing that for many years, while continuing to improve our products to match current trends.
New York is another good market and an important feeder market for Fiji. We also do well in Florida and Las Vegas, and we sell into high-end spas such as Ritz-Carlton.
The United States has a special place for us because it was our first international market. We started selling there around 1998, with our first spa being Red Mountain Resort in Utah. The demand grew rapidly, and we eventually realized that we needed to expand our manufacturing capacity.
5. Supporting Fiji's local economy is an important part of Pure Fiji's identity. How does the company work with local producers, communities and suppliers, and what impact does this have on livelihoods and economic opportunities?
We source our oils from local communities, as we have done from the very beginning, and we've introduced new ways of producing these oils to provide additional income.
We also work with communities producing handmade paper, and with women who weave baskets for us. We've seen the impact this can have on families and communities, women who started weaving when their children were small now have children who are going to university.
We give first preference to Fiji for sourcing wherever possible, including cartons and other supplies.
Manufacturing is also very important. We have 220 employees, but if we ran everything with machines, we would only need around 20.
We deliberately decommissioned some filling and labelling machinery because we knew we could create more work for more people. Where there's a hand, there's a heart and a soul.
Machines don't smile. They don't sing.
Everything is hand done, from picking the seeds and nuts to extracting the oils. It's very labour-intensive.
We also say that our botanicals are on "island time." We don't rush the process. The seeds drop when they're ready. We don't pick them early and artificially ripen them. When they're at their prime, they drop and are gathered by hand.
6. Sustainability and responsible sourcing are increasingly important to global consumers. How does Pure Fiji ensure that its growth remains aligned with environmental protection?
A lot of what we do is based on wild harvesting, which reduces the need for fertilising and watering. The Dilo tree is also remarkable because it is self-sustaining.
The way we work is closely connected to the natural environment. We allow the botanicals to grow and mature naturally rather than forcing the process.
7. Innovation is essential to remain competitive in the international beauty and wellness industry. What new products, technologies or market opportunities are you exploring as Pure Fiji looks to expand its global footprint?
We're constantly reinventing ourselves and innovating. Every year, we have new products coming out.
This year, we introduced Black Pearl and Sea Grapes, as well as Citrus and Mokosoi, which is doing very well. We have other new products in development for next year.
Fiji is a paradise, and there are so many things that you can do with the natural resources here. That's what makes creating new products so exciting.
8. Looking ahead, what's your vision for Pure Fiji over the next five to 10 years? Do you see opportunities to expand into new markets, strengthen existing international partnerships, or develop new categories?
We don't go into a lot of countries. We are very selective about where we are, and we'd rather do each country well and have our distribution properly established rather than simply pursue quick sales.
Once we enter a country, it's important to us to establish our roots and develop the market. We currently supply New Zealand, Australia and the Cook Islands, and we are establishing ourselves more strongly in the European Union as we complete our product registrations.
Our distributors often come to Fiji, fall in love with the country, and then become like family.
That's how we want it. We're a family business, and we really want to keep it that way.
We have been approached many times by outside investors, but we've always said no. We believe you can lose the soul of a company once you bring in outside boards and investors.
We started at roughly the same time as Fiji Water. They grew extremely quickly, but that's not our approach. We do this because we love it. It's our passion.
We're different. We're not a normal mass-market brand.
We've always said we want to keep within the spa industry because that's our family. The spa business is where we speak the same language and care about the same things.
9. Finally, what message would you like to share with Los Angeles Times readers about Pure Fiji, and with international consumers, retailers and business partners seeking authentic, sustainable and high-quality Pacific products?
One of our mission statements is "not to be the best in the world, but to be the best for the world."
And I think from everything we've discussed, you can feel that. Fiji, we just love Fiji. We're very passionate about it.
Fiji is a paradise. We couldn't think of any place better to live.
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