The COVID-19 pandemic had caused many disruptions to businesses across the country and globe resulting in job losses.
However for some this was a push to venture into a business suited to the current climate or reaching out into an untapped market.
Pipedreams Fiji directors Kitione Pickering and Tevita Soro both lost their jobs when the pandemic hit the country last year.
The pair through discussions amongst each other launched into creating a service for backyard gardening.
Operating out of his own garage Mr Pickering and Mr Soro started building products which were used in their own gardens but then led them to provide their services to the consumer market.
“So we were neighbours here in Nasoso and then really began just like having a conversation about my backyard garden, planning on how we were going to plant because everybody was planting back then,” he said.
“And then one thing led to another and we started coming up with ideas that we used in our own garden and we figured out people might actually want to purchase these things.”
Mr Pickering added they recieved a lot of interest once they started to market their products.
Pipedreams Fiji builds anything which is related to backyard garden such as swingsets, gym sets as well as household items such as couches, beds, corts, planter beds and even a hydroponic setup.
According to Mr Pickering they were working on a mobile greenhouse, which could be taken down and put back up within a span of an hour.
He said they worked on orders that were simple and hadn’t been done in Fiji before as they were really just looking at pushing past that barrier.
“It’s anything home and garden related, we’ve come up with a few ideas that haven’t been done in Fiji as yet,” he said.
“For example a wicking bed, in the West especially, it’s something that I feel like could really benefit a lot of people saying as it saves up to 80 per cent of water utilised compared to using normal garden beds.
“There’s a reservoir underneath it and it waters itself from the bottom of it so self-irrigating planter box and once you fill up the reservoir, it can stay for two weeks which is really good for the West because hardly rains here compared to other areas in Fiji.”
He said this was an untapped market and it was only a matter of time before big organisations jump into it.
“So we have to capitalise it as much as we can right now but backyard gardening should be really the backbone of any of our society,” he said. At the moment the business had a reach of around 4000 people on facebook and 2000 on Instagram.
Mr Pickering said they would like to reach out to more consumers as they wanted to a regional cover.
“We would actually like to move into the region eventually because nobody else is in the region is doing this sort of thing so it could be a lucrative market.”
He said there was a potential to move into the hotel market once the borders opened up to international tourists and things would get back to normalcy.
“I reckon the quality of our work speaks for itself it’s really good quality and we only use the best timber and we just try and use good practices in regards to ensuring that our items are aesthetically pleasing as well as they actually functional,” he said.
“I reckon we would actually face an influx in orders but again, it comes down to marketing it into hotels and stuff.”
Pipedreams Fiji was also involved with a few NGOs in terms of sorting out gardening systems within squatter settlements and villages in the worst hit communities of the Nadi area.
“We did some training on soil preparation and soil health,” said Mr Pickering.
“We’re not experts on it but we’ve done so much research and whatever little knowledge that we did have, we like to share that with people within the Nadi area.
“We actually went and helped set up garden beds in some areas, providing them with planting material as well, this was with friend Fiji.”
However the business had been impacted greatly this year with the second wave of the pandemic.
Mr Pickering said not only was it the lockdowns but their staff had contracted COVID-19 which resulted in them shutting down operation for a couple of weeks.
Fortunately he said business had picked up and they were getting huge support from Fiji.
“I’ve got massive dreams I’d like to be like the Amazon of Fiji one day.
“Obviously, I want to be the name that pushes all backyard gardening within Fiji, not only in Fiji but in the region,” he said.
He added his dream was to eventually split their business in two separate arms which was backyard gardening and joinery.
Around 90 per cent of the products made by Pipedreams Fiji are custom orders.
“I try and make it, our thing is to never say no.
“It’s not that we have never said no, I said no to a Mannequin because I wouldn’t be able to justify how much it would cost us to build it, it would be very expensive.”
The director of the business said people had been really supportive of their initiative.
“We’ve had so much to love from everyone in Fiji and I feel like a lot of that’s to do with how we carry ourselves and how we come across to people like, it’s all just good vibes.
“Everything’s about fun and just making the best of what we have and what we’ve all got.”
Mr Pickering said they have had a lot of inquiries from overseas but it was a challenge to getting it through biosecurity.
He said if people ever felt like they needed something made or they’ve always thought about having a custom made product then they could reach out to Pipedreams Fiji on Facebook, Instagram
or call them on 9406741.
Pipedreams Fiji has two employees James Wilson and Stefano Pickering including directors Mr Soro and Mr Pickering.
