31-year-old Vinesh Varun Sharma and his wife Vandhana started Vinesh Export in 2023, initially converting their garage into a makeshift packhouse as they worked to get the business off the ground.
The couple now source fruits, vegetables and root crops from farmers in Sigatoka, other parts of the Western Division and Central Viti Levu.
Produce including eggplant, pawpaw, okra, chillies, ginger, cassava and dalo is exported to New Zealand, while pearl guava is sent to Japan.
Sharma says the business exported 43,560 kilograms of produce in 2024, earning $348,480.
A year later, exports had increased to 81,100 kilograms, with income rising to $648,800.
Sharma says the money earned is reinvested into the business to help it continue growing.
The business is also providing another market for local farmers, collecting vegetables from them every Thursday and Saturday for export.
As the operation expanded, Vinesh Export received support through the Ministry of Agriculture's Commercial Agriculture Development Programme, which provided a packhouse and cooler valued at $87,398.
The facilities have allowed the family to handle larger volumes of produce while maintaining the quality required for export.
Vinesh Export currently employs five full-time and 10 casual workers.
However, expanding the business has also brought challenges.
The company currently has one three-tonne truck to transport produce to the airport and sometimes has to make two trips when export orders are high.
Sharma says maintaining the quality of produce is another important part of the operation, as products that do not meet export standards cannot be sent overseas.
Despite these challenges, the family plans to continue expanding the business and creating more opportunities for farmers to supply produce for overseas markets.
For Sharma and Vandhana, the business has come a long way from the makeshift packhouse in their family garage, and they are now focused on expanding the operation further.
