Fijian business icon and Hot Bread Kitchen matriarch, Dr Mere Samisoni was a “hardworking, tenacious, truly unstoppable and formidable woman who dared to speak her mind always,” recalled Women In Business president Dr Nur Bano Ali.
Dr Ali spoke highly of the late Dr Samisoni, who was widely credited with the establishment of the Hot Bread Kitchen chain in Fiji, through which she devoted her entire life to the empowerment of women and the marginalized of society.
Dr Samisoni passed away in Suva last week, aged 85.
“Dr Mere Samisoni was indeed a great friend of Women in Business and all that we stand for,” said Dr Ali.
“Our shared values on women’s commercial empowerment and participation saw her presence at almost all our events and initiatives. She was always happy to share her knowledge willingly and generously with other women to make them better and more able to conduct themselves with strength. She stood literally tall and proud as a trailblazer and a pioneering woman in business, venturing into the business domain when only a select few, particularly women, dared to contemplate such ventures.”
In recognition of her remarkable contributions, Dr Samisoni was honoured with the Women in Business Award by WIB in 2012, while her enterprise, The Hot Bread Kitchen, earned the esteemed accolade of “Employer of Choice” in 2015, said Dr Ali.
“These distinctions bear testament to her unwavering dedication to supporting women in the world of business. We cannot talk enough about her as an exemplary story of success for women. WIB will absolutely miss her as one of our very own highly successful business woman whose legacy will live way beyond her life and her story will continue to be told to many generations to come. Her country famous ‘Hot Bread Kitchen’ is a household brand as are the decadent but delicious cream buns which continue to be on order from Fijians all around the world,” she said.
“For me personally, I will always remember her for a woman who truly supported me when she stood up and spoke about my work with women and with WIB. I look forward to seeing her legacy continue in the next generation of women business leaders,”Dr Nur Bano added.
A quintessential philanthropist, Dr Samisoni believed that “when you plant positive, you receive positive, peace and happiness,” said Hot Bread general manager legal, Sainiana Radrodro, who was also a close friend and confidant.
“She was someone who not only believed in the empowerment of women but also showed it through her actions. Out of 800 employees, 85 per cent are women.
“And a majority of them left school at secondary school level, quite a few started with the company and they are still here. She was very passionate when it came to women empowerment and believed in balancing out areas where she felt women still needed a lot of support,” Ms Radrodro said.
“She also went big into community service and often operated like a government – putting in culverts here, footpaths there, repairing a hospital ward at CWM, paying for repairs at Ballantine Memorial School, paying for contractors to install solar lights in Lami Village.”
An ardent sports supporter, Dr Samisoni, through Hot Bread Kitchen, also sponsored various sporting initiatives in volleyball, netball, athletics, rugby and more recently the Frank Hilton Organisation Bara (Wheelbarrow) Battle.
Dr Samisoni also extended her generosity to maternity issues, with her background as a qualified general and maternity nurse, she would sponsor milk supplies, sometimes for up to a year, for lactating single mothers with breastfeeding difficulties, said Ms Radrodro.
“She contributed widely to community causes, there’s too many to list. Her mantra was to ‘give back to the community what they blessed me with,’ and that was exactly what her life was about.
“She embodied the iTaukei principles of Lotu, Vanua kei na Matanitu and was equally passionate about indigenous causes and was a staunch Christian. But having said that, she was also a firm believer of diversity and supported the rights of people to celebrate their own religious beliefs. She was truly an icon who will be sorely missed.”
In her indelible hands-on involvement in the business, Dr Samisoni is said to have forged very close family-like bonds with her staff – most have worked for years for the company – and had also ensured business continuity by having in place a good succession team.
“The business is in good hands. Dr Mere’s survivors are very capable people, the company is very well established and it will continue to flourish in the legacy that she has left behind,” said Ms Radrodro
“People can continue to expect the same standards of services and high end products and we can continue to expect the company to be bigger and better, particularly as the staff wants her legacy to be remembered.”
Dr Samisoni is surviced by the four children, John, Selina, Vanessa and Philip and her 12 grandchildren.
