Waisea Tokikiviro and his wife Dijana Green-Tokikiviro have been drawn to the warm-hearted Fijian people, prompting them to establish a business in Nadi.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, their families in Fiji lost their jobs. To support them, the couple encouraged their families to start producing handicrafts and send them to Australia for sale.
With the Australian government allowing the import of yaqona, the couple ventured into the business. “This enabled our family members to keep working while we helped them provide,” said Ms. Green-Tokikiviro, founder and CEO of Elevating Food Safety Pty Limited.
As their business grew, Mr. Tokikiviro decided to import seafood from Fiji and sell it in Australia. “We found a local business partner who could help us meet all requirements. It has now been two years, and we are going strong,” she noted.
To further develop the business, they established a vertical integration by setting up a seafood processing plant in Fiji to supply fresh quality products both locally and internationally.
Ms. Green-Tokikiviro explained that this business model allows villages to harvest seafood and supply it to Pacifika Delicacies, a seafood shop, and processing factory in Martintar, Nadi, opened on August 1.
“Our new business in Fiji, which sources seafood locally and sends it to Australia, will also sell seafood to locals in Fiji. This is our way of supporting and showing devotion to the local community, family, and friends in Fiji by introducing this exciting new concept,” she added.
The initial investment for the start-up was F$250,000, with an ongoing yearly investment of F$200,000. The business will employ three full-time staff and four part-timers. Its head office is located in Sydney, Australia.
“We can run the business remotely, operating the shop from Fiji,” Ms. Green-Tokikiviro said.
In the past, Ms. Green-Tokikiviro represented the Parramatta Eels in Fiji and collaborated with her husband, who was the president of the Nadi Eels Rugby League Club.