IT all started off with a brother trying to create a product that his sisters could use without harming their sensitive skin and today the idea is slowly turning into a goldmine.
Loaloa Naturals is a local business which although in its baby stage, has big plans to take their locally made products with locally sourced raw materials to the global market.
“We are a very new company in the industry – what we could say a baby in the industry but we are aiming really high,” said company director Vian.
Ms Vian said they were working very closely with their manufacturer Averyl Fiji who work with the Ministry of Forestry.
Her brother Averyl Avchial owns Averyl (Fiji) – a business which manufactures candlenut soap, candle sugar scrub and candlenut oil to name a few.
“We are all interlinked in what we do and what we do is Averyl Fiji collects fruits – whatever is available locally.
“Our products are made from these local raw materials and he processes it and we get it off him and we distribute it,” she said.
According to Ms Vian their main market is candlenut and that’s something that the Ministry of Forestry is focusing on as well.
Candlenut is produced by the lauci tree which is also locally known as the following names toto, sikeci, tuitui, qereqere and waiwai.
With the Ministry of Forestry’s initiative to plant so many millions of trees in the next few years, there are also plans to push for lauci trees to be part of the initiative too.
Ms Vian said the candlenut industry was a billion dollar industry, adding that there was a lot of demand for candlenut overseas based on its properties that were deemed the best for skincare.
She said candlenut had lots of benefits but it was not so widely known locally which was why they were trying to raise awareness on its importance.
They work with candlenut, dilo, virgin coconut oil and other locally grown fruits.
“This is a family business – back in the day our grandparents used these products and we grew up watching them and using the natural products.
“My sister and I have very sensitive skin so what happens is every time we use products we get reactions. My brother Averyl was watching us and thought about what he can make or how can he turn this raw material into something that my sisters can use which is convenient and not harmful.
“So he made soaps and oil and we started using them and it’s just done wonders to our skin. And then we started giving it out to our friends and families and they loved it.
“I have had people use our charcoal soaps – kids with rashes or ringworms – and it has done wonders for them.”
She said just recently a friend of hers told her she had rashes in her hand and she gave her their handcrafted charcoal soap which she claimed worked wonders.
The company – Loaloa Naturals – is in the process of getting all their certificates and other requirements done in order to start exporting the products.
She said it took a bit of time and with the COVID-19 pandemic and the global lockdown, they were already two and half months behind schedule.
“We have sent couple of our oil samples to Australia. New Zealand and US are in the pipeline and our fingers are crossed for Europe and UK. We still have a long way to go but the passion and drive is there.”
Ms Vian said they worked extensively with the local rural communities in terms of supply of raw materials for their soaps and oils.
“For example – there is a village in Naitasiri that supplies us with a particular fruit that we use. So when we need the fruits, say about 20 bags, then we call them, they collect the required amount for us, we pick up the bags, pay them and come back.”
She said at a time when one of the
