| Vanuatu Kava Economy |
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Vanuatu is a sleepy Melanesian country in the South Pacific. In fact Vanuatu exemplifies the typical South Pacific LDC, in that it is rich in idyllic surroundings, but lacking in large natural resources. Vanuatu’s micro economy is driven by tourism, offshore investment, copra and fortunately for ni-vanuatu (the name of Vanuatu locals) KAVA.
Most Vanuatu island communities/villages grow kava plants. Families within each village grow kava crops on their custom land and every 4-6 years harvest their crops. Middleman or kava brokers, normally tied in with the area of the island the village is in, buy kava and then on sell it to kava dealers on the main islands of Vanuatu, Efate and Santo. The kava dealers then either sell the kava to kava bars in the capitals of these islands; Port Vila and Luganville or sell it onto kava exporters.
This micro economic process allows for monies to flow back to the villages so they can afford school fees, gas and other basic necessities. However due to the multi tiered steps and various kava brokers, the growers of the kava are often left only being paid a relatively small amount for their kava.
VKS doesn’t begrudge the various players in the Kava industry in Vanuatu their chance to make a living nor the fact that they facilitate monies flowing back to village level. However we cut out the middleman and deal directly with specific villages to purchase our kava. We pay an above average price, when we buy Vanuatu kava, certainly more than what the middlemen negotiate. This brings more money back into the villages we deal with. However we get a good deal out of it as we cut out the middle mans percentage and get the kava straight from the source…instead of kava warehouses which can store kava for months….you don’t get fresher kava than what we source.
Thanks
The Vanuatu Kava Store Team
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