BULA Batiki is a brand of virgin coconut oil (VCO) that is slowly making its mark in the European market, far from the island of Batiki in the Lomaiviti Group where it is produced.
Apart from VCO, the Bula Batiki brand has also begun manufacturing green products such as sunglasses made from local timber and other organic products.
The Fiji Times this week looks beyond the rising fame of the product, and into the life of its founder, Callum Drummond, who is also the director of the company.
Even though Mr Drummond is not from Batiki, he fell in love with the island and its people having lived with them while working as a volunteer from the United Kingdom, as part of a charity project with Think Pacific in 2012.
With the warm reception he received from his vuvale (family) on the island, Mr Drummond decided to reciprocate the hospitality of his fellow kaivata (kinsmen) on the four villages in Batiki.
Hence, the idea to tap on to the abundant coconut trees that grew around the island.
Mr Drummond was 19 when he arrived in Fiji from Cheltenham Gloucestershire in 2012.
After spending five weeks living in Yavu Village on Batiki Island as a volunteer, he had an incredible experience.
He was keen on returning to the island after his voluntary work with the NGO. And he did return for Christmas in 2013 and 2014.
Kelevi as he is endearingly referred to by his adopted kinsmen, has a younger brother on the island who happens to be his namesake, Inoke Yanuyanutawa Drummond, In an interview with this newspaper, Mr Drummond said that when people thought of Fiji, they often envisioned white sandy beaches, crystal clear seas and endless coconut trees, but as nice as that may be, what made Fiji so special was its people.
He said there was no better place to experience this than in a Fijian village.
“I became part of Yavu Village almost six years ago. This was a complete culture shock to me coming from the UK, and the experience completely changed me as a person,” he said.
“Seeing how remote villagers could take me in as their own and treat me like family was something that I had never experienced before.
“At the end of the five weeks that I spent in the village as part of my time with Think Pacific, I knew I had to go back to the island to see my Fiji family. Now I return twice a year to spend my time at the village.
“Each time I return to Batiki, I am greeted with so many hugs and people saying bula Kelevi that I feel as though I’ve never been away.
“Walking through the village, I constantly hear mai kana (come and eat), as it is a Fijian custom to invite any passer-by into their house for food.”
He said a Fijian village was the most special place that he’d ever been to.
“It’s based on sharing, not selling, which is an incredible way to live. The villagers farm together and fish together, dividing everything up to help feed the elderly and the disabled. It really is the perfect life,” he said.
“To be truly accepted into a Fijian culture requires a lot of respect — both to and from the Fijians. The villagers have so much respect when you try to be a Kaiviti (Fijian), so when you speak their language, wear their traditional clothing or walk around barefoot, your whole connection to both the people and the land is enhanced. And it is this respect that I believe is the root of all of their kindness.
“Fiji is a nation of the kindest-hearted people, constantly laughing and joking, willing to help anyone that they can. They taught me how to care and how to share, and Fiji will always hold a special place in my heart.”
In 2015, Mr Drummond won a grant from Cardiff University to start the Bula Batiki project, which gave the funding to produce the logos/labels, website and to also have the first batch of oil produced and shipped to the UK.
Once he secured the funds, Mr Drummond returned to Batiki to present the concept of “Bula Batiki”, which was well received by the islanders.
Recently, while explaining the development of the business to Minister for Fisheries Semi Koroilavesau, Batiki district
representative Tevita Suraki said the business was slowly gaining recognition in the UK market.
Mr Suraki said the business started by Mr Drummond would later open up opportunities for other VCO producers in Fiji.
He added once the project became successful, it could be replicated around the country.
Mr Suraki also explained that a team from CAUKIN Studio, a UK firm, were on the island constructing a standard VCO production facility for villagers.
