Pickle profits to help less privileged Fiji women It’s business as well as community work for this Sydney entrepreneur

BY ASHA CHAND

Fiji-born Rooty Hillbased businesswoman

Anita Kumar has reached out to women from Fiji, who have been cooking up a storm in Sydney with their pickles and chutneys.

Kumar’s Fiji Island Supermarket on 63 Rooty Hill North Road has become the supply chain for pickles made by Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises and Development (FRIEND), an organisation especially set up to help women from disadvantaged backgrounds in Fiji. Operating from Tuvu, a village in Lautoka, the organisation also supplies locally available raw material to youth and people with special needs, so that they can put their skills to use by making all occasion greeting cards.

“These women are putting their skills and talents to use and I am happy to be in a position to help them realise their potential in a global market,” Kumar said.

“I was born in Bulabula, Ba, where I grew up on pickles and chutneys as the side dish adding a special flavour to the plain meals of rice and dhal, or roti and curry.” Kumar migrated to New Zealand as a teenager, got married and lived there for several years before moving to her new home in Sydney. “Living here and enjoying the luxury of the western world with our adult children has helped me realise how lucky I am,” she stated. “I now want to help women who have a tough life in Fiji, because I value the hard work that goes into making these chutneys and pickles”.

The first shipment of the pickles arrived at her supermarket recently, and Kumar reiterated that she does not plan to make any profit on these goods, simply to ensure that the women who make and package the products are the real recipients of any profit.

Recalling her childhood days in the village, Kumar said her mother Sushila Narayan who lives in Auckland, made tamarind chutneys and mango pickles for the clan of families who inhibited the tola (group of village homes).

“The days of my mum going around to Fiji Indian homes in Auckland to make chutneys and pickles for weddings and other celebrations will soon be out of vogue as these items are available in spice shops around Sydney, and will soon be shipped out to Auckland,” Kumar quipped.

She was excited about the products gaining international fame through global networking made possible through the new media environment, and hopes to one day begin selling these products online.

The women working for FRIEND use smart technology, with high-powered solar drying panels used to dry the pickles before adding spices and preservatives. This method has come a long way since her childhood as Kumar recalls how she used to climb on the roof of their home using a ladder, to lay out the diced mangoes for drying before her mum applied here ‘magic’ to make the fruit into pickles.

“I sell all the Fiji Indian spices that are used for making pickles in my store. However, I encourage my customers to notice and buy the ready-to-use pickles as there is an interesting human story of survival behind the jars that proudly adorn our shelves,” Kumar said.

The recent floods in Fiji have damaged or destroyed many of the mango and other fruit trees. The women making the pickles will be affected directly; however there is excitement and hope as they prepare to make do with what is available to them.

“They use seasonal vegetables and fruit, and are willing to wait until particular crops have recovered from the onslaught of nature. I am deeply moved by their level of tolerance as well as the excitement this project has brought into the lives of these women,” Kumar stated.

Some of the products include mango, lime and chilli pickles; sweet mango, tamarind, chilli and khatai (dried mango) chutney, and jam made from guava, mango and marmalade. All the fruit and vegetables are locally grown in Fiji. FRIEND, a non-government organisation encourages the use of natural resources and skills for sustainable livelihoods. The organisation says that the chutneys and pickles are made using recipes which “have been passed down from generation to generation. Each product has a taste unique to Fiji, just the way our mothers and grandmothers used to make them.”

Kumar also recently organised a drive to collect donations from

Fiji Indian and other communities in Sydney, to be sent to the flood victims in Fiji.

Her shop was the drop-off point for food, clothes and other daily essentials which were collected on behalf of Humdard Incorporated, an organisation working towards helping the people of Fiji improve their lives through education and providing assistance during times of natural disaster.

Kumar said she sees her shop as a business venture, as well as a refuge centre for community work.

“I am able to reach out to communities in need through my business and I am glad to be blessed with this opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives,” she said enthusiastically.

Food breaks all barriers and pickles, made by these enterprising women, have become a duty free item at airports. The colourful labels make the product stand tall among other others, as do the handicraft items individually created by women and youth, using locally available resources such as pandanus and mulberry.

“Many tourists too seek out these chutneys in Sydney, now that word is out about our supply chain,” said Kumar in conclusion.

The pickles are made by Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises and Development (FRIEND), an organisation especially set up to help women from disadvantaged backgrounds in Fiji.

Kumar claims that she does not plan to make any profit on these goods, simply to ensure that the women who make and package the products are the real recipients of any profit.