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With Christmas just four months away, Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) New Zealand has invited four Pacific companies to showcase their wares at the Auckland Spring Home and Gift Fair from August 27 to 29.
The annual one-stop trade-only show is held at the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane. It attracts hundreds of exhibitors vying to attract buyers and retailers stocking up for Christmas.
Vanuatu natural oils and skincare products maker The Summit Vanuatu is one of four Pacific Island companies being featured at the fair. Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) New Zealand invited the four companies to participate in the show hosting them at a specially themed ‘Pacific Hub’ stand.
The show comes close on the heels of the Auckland Food Show where PTI NZ featured nine companies from five Pacific Island companies at a similarly themed Pacific Hub stand.
Speaking about the participation of four companies at next week’s trade-only show, PTI NZ Trade Development Manager Joe Fuavao said, “We currently have a successful food and beverage programme in place for our Pacific Island companies. Our participation at the Spring Gift and Homeware Fair is to develop a platform for Pacific Island companies in the craft, cosmetic and skincare sectors to promote their products to New Zealand buyers.
“As trade-only event, this is a great opportunity for our Pacific exporters to meet key decision makers in the business responsible for purchasing products. We welcome the four Pacific companies and look forward to working with them at the Spring Gift and Homeware Fair.”
Based in Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila, The Summit uses only natural ingredients sourced from Vanuatu’s pristine islands to create its range of sandalwood based, tamanu, lime and nangai oil skin care products.
The ingredients are all organically grown, which is what makes them popular with tourists to Vanuatu who visit the company’s distillery. However, what equally impresses visitors and buyers of the products is the fact that they are grown by hundreds of small-holder farmers using traditional organic practices.
“Customers appreciate the top-quality product we produce, achievable by the traceability of the key ingredients and our small batch production policy. Our beautiful products contain no artificial ingredients, no artificial fragrances, no parabens, nor animal products. They are tested on blissfully happy friends,” the company’s director Sandra Mazzucco told Pacific Periscope.
“Whilst organic, natural and beneficial ingredients are a major factor and point of difference to our products, it is the socio-economic impact of improved lifestyles and increased livelihoods for the small-holder farmers that is vitally important,” she added.
The company lays much store by the pristine ingredients and the locals who grow them. Says Ms Mazzucco: “Our key botanical ingredients are sourced from traceable local trees and plants, nurtured and loved by their growers. Vanuatu benefits from a superb collection of plants, which have been used for centuries, and we have put together a small sample to share in their all natural, all-encompassing magic.
“Sandalwood and other tropical essential oils, which are highly beneficial to the skin as also to the mood, are distilled at our artisan steam distillery in Port Vila and then combined with other 100% natural ingredients in our health and skincare range.”
The Summit Vanuatu makes creams, balms, soaps and sandalwood hydrosol based health and body products at its distillery on site, by hand, in a facility where production processes can be observed by visitors.
The company takes naturalness and sustainability beyond its products into its packaging, too. The products are packaged in handcrafted boxes using clean recycled cardboard and handmade rosettes.
“The Summit Vanuatu takes pride in its earth to oils enterprise. We work at a grassroots level, actively supporting ethical and fair-trade farming and fully promoting sustainability, then take it through to creation of a 100% pure and natural superior quality product,” Ms Mazzucco said.
Speaking of the company’s participation in next week’s show in Auckland, Ms Mazzucco said, “We will utilise this opportunity to ‘showcase’ our range of products to a more regional marketplace, which aligns itself perfectly to our overall future development plans.”
Ms Mazzucco will be representing The Summit Vanuatu along with her co-director Terry Adlington at the Auckland Spring Home and Gift Fair, which will be held at the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane, Auckland. This is the first time that the company is showcasing its products in New Zealand, though it does sell products here through its online store.
“We hope to receive good interest and feedback on our product range and hope to engage with an agent or distributor,” Ms Mazzucco said.
The Summit Vanuatu is a past participant of the PTI NZ Path to Market Programme, which is designed to help potential exporters from the Pacific Islands gain a better understanding of the New Zealand market. It is an export capability programme combining a range of export facilitation services to help export ready and export capable businesses to enter New Zealand.
Photo Facebook The Summit Vanuatu. Caption: Some of the range of skincare products from The Summit Vanuatu