Bula Batiki
Bula Batiki Crafter Profile
Batiki Island
Say ‘Bula’ to Batiki Island!
A near three-hour boat ride from the eastern coast of Viti Levu, and surrounded by the Koro Sea, is the island of Batiki! Nestled in the centre of the Lomaiviti Archipelago, Batiki is surrounded by its much larger neighbours: Ovalau, Wakaya, Gau, Koro, Nairai along with many other islands and islets.
Despite its small size, Batiki’s particularly fertile volcanic soil means that the island is blanketed in ‘Vu ni Niu’ (coconut palms). It is from these palms that the Batiki’s islanders can harvest the coconuts needed to make their delicious Bula Batiki organic coconut oil!
About: Bula Batiki
Bula Batiki is collective made up of the villagers of Batiki’s four settlements: Mua, Yavu, Manuku, and Naigani. It is a 100% community-owned initiative that was founded in order to bring to market their organic coconut oil.
The company was set up in 2015 with the aim of furthering their island’s economic development, and over the years has supplied books for the Batiki district school, medical supplies for the island's nursing station, and has also been invested in organic farming practices and sustainability training for the villagers to ensure the continuation of the business.
Each and every pot of Bula Batiki coconut oil is labelled by the family that made it, so you can tell who it comes from and where they live. It is the only coconut oil on the planet that can do so, and they hope that by doing so you feel a little closer to Batiki Island, wherever you are in the world — whether you’re receiving a pot from the Rasalasea family from Yavu Village, the Selabuco family from Naigani, or the Dinadina family from Mua.
Six whole coconuts go into every pot of Bula Batiki coconut oil using a method called ‘cold-pressing’, which keeps all of the nutrients intact. The process begins when Batiki’s finest mature coconuts are selected and husked and de-shelled. The white, nutrient-rich part of the coconut (known as the ‘coconut meat’) is shredded up, collected, and placed into a mesh bed.
The bed is then pressed in order to squeeze out the coconut milk, which is stored and allowed to separate. The coconut cream will rise to the top, whereas the nutrient-dense coconut oil will remain underneath. The oil is then separated once again, filtered, and then ladled into one of Bula Batiki's signature glass pots — a little taste of Batiki Island for you to enjoy!
Bula Batiki have also recently obtained a HACCP certification for food safety, which is a really big achievement for a remote community. Together with this HACCP certificate and the Organic Pasifika logo, Batiki’s organic 100% virgin coconut oil is one of the best coconut oils on the planet.
About: Bula Batiki
The Plantation supports the villagers who live and work on the island. Any profits earned from the coconut oil are invested back into its slowly expanding family of staff members by ensuring they are paid honest and fair wages. Unfortunately, Cyclone Winston in Februay 2016 wiped out all the coconut trees on the island, so stocks are limited until the coconut trees recover.