The Managing Director of Taki Mai, Zane Yoshida says with the growth trajectory of the company right now with the recent publication of their quarterly results, he is happy to say that they are finally looking to surpass the 1 million dollars revenue mark.
He says they are looking to build and layer the cake with additional revenue in 2021 and beyond.
Yoshida says they faced difficulties in raising capital prior to being listed on the Australian Securities Exchange post Tropical Cyclone Winston.
He says they had a very strong business plan and an independent supply chain assessment that was done by the Asian Development Bank to support them in plugging gaps with the supply chain they were looking to draw from based on the anticipated volume of sales they were forecasting.
He adds that they also engaged a local capital broker in Fiji to help them raise capital to grow the business because of Reserve Bank of Fiji regulations at the time, they were limited to only 10 individuals or institutions to approach.
Yoshida says more than 12 months later being listed as a public company, he is still learning and things are still difficult.
He says they have ticked off major milestones with re-branding from Taki Mai to Fiji Kava for the international markets.
Yoshida says they launched in New Zealand prior to Christmas with the largest pharmacy group out of New Zealand called Green Cross Health so they have distribution at the moment for their kava instant powders and kava capsules in up to 200 pharmacies.
He further says they are looking at building on various channels including grocery for the New Zealand market and likewise continue their push to make their product visible across many platforms in Australia and into the United States.
While sharing the story of his entrepreneurial journey at the University of the South Pacific’s 2020 Entrepreneurial Fair, Yoshida says he grew up drinking kava from as young as 13 years of age in Levuka Town and still does until now to relieve stress, anxiety and to sleep well.
In December 2018, Fiji Kava became the first Kava public company on the Australian Securities Exchange.
