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Vanuatu

Port Vila

Volcanic Earth is a Vanuatu based skin care manufacturer that is pioneering a new approach to business growth by focusing on the provision of business opportunities for entrepreneurial Ni Vanuatu, rather than direct employment.

Their latest initiative involves the establishment of a DME coconut oil factory in Port Vila but with a twist. Instead of directly employing the 5 young Ni Vanuatu men that work in the factory, Volcanic Earth set about assisting one of them, Donald Hokau, to obtain his own business license so he could then directly employ the other 4 young Ni Vanuatu men in his team. The goal behind this initiative was to create a situation whereby Ni Vanuatu worked for Ni Vanuatu, rather than working for yet another expat business owner. Volcanic Earth’s naturally organic skin care products and traditional Melanesian skin treatments make extensive use of naturally organic Virgin Coconut Oil, locally-produced Tamanu Oil, Volcanic Ash and Volcanic Pumice. (www.volcanicearth.com).

Barry Roche, Export Manager, had this to say. "Whenever possible, we try to source local ingredients as a way of supporting and promoting the Vanuatu economy. Unfortunately, as the demand for coconut oil as a bio-fuel grew, we found it increasingly difficult to obtain high grade Virgin Coconut Oil, let alone cosmetic grade coconut oil. This situation deteriorated to the point where we were forced to import coconut oil from Fiji. This did not sit well with us and so we sought a grant from the Australian Government to help us establish our own virgin coconut oil factory."

Volcanic Earth was one of the first Vanuatu recipients of a grant through the AusAID-funded Enterprise Challenge Fund (ECF). ECF is a program that Pacific Islands Trade & Invest has always supported.

Part of the purpose of this particular grant was to establish a small coconut oil factory in Port Vila while at the same time creating additional employment opportunities for Ni Vanuatu. Other aspects of the grant involved the creation of employment and livelihood opportunities for 900 - 1,500 disadvantaged Ni Vanuatu through the opening up of export markets in Australia and New Zealand for Volcanic Earth products, particularly their Virgin Coconut Oil and Tamanu Oil-based skin care products.

Volcanic Earth paid for the construction of the coconut oil factory while a component of the ECF grant was used to purchase equipment such as electric graters, stainless steel tops and the press itself.

When asked further about their support of Donald Hokau Mr Roche said, "Initially, we hired 26 year old Donald Hokau and promptly asked him to find 4 other Ni Vanuatu men that were hard working and who needed a job. All of Volcanic Earth’s staff up until this time were women and we remain an equal opportunity employer."

He went on, "Before long we made Donald the boss and it soon became apparent to us that making coconut oil was something very close to the ancestral heritage of all 5 men – they loved the work, they always turned up on time and they were exceptionally good at the job. Why wouldn’t they be? The Ni Vanuatu have been scaling high coconut trees unaided and cracking open coconuts with bush knives since early childhood."