Malekula Pepper maker steps up at Vanuatu Made Christmas Show

December 8, 2025 11:07 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

By Bruce Tamata.

Joel Kalnpel, an ambitious pepper farmer and value-added producer from North West Malekula, was spotted among the many new producers at this year’s Vanuatu Made Tropical Christmas trade show in Luganville.

When Kalnpel was invited to be part of the annual Vanuatu Made trade show, he welcomed the offer and freighted his products to Luganville to showcase them at the event, hoping to build connections that could open a reliable market for his pepper products.

Mr. Kalnpel has shown creativity in his packaging by presenting peppercorns in bulk bottles as well as pepper grinder bottles.

The Malekula pepper farmer said he has applied for a permit and hopes to have all the required paperwork in order before he returns to his farming duties on Malekula.

In an interview, Mr. Kalnpel said he currently has more than 500kg of organic black pepper stored at his processing facility, waiting for a market opportunity.

Mr. Kalnpel added that he is producing 500–1000kg of black pepper per year at the processing facility in Lakatoro on Malekula, and production will increase once he receives his industrial permit to invest in value-added processing as a registered Vanuatu Made producer.

As advice to young people in Vanuatu, Mr. Kalnpel said they should consider cultivating the land as a way to grow individually and contribute to the country’s development. “If you are a school dropout, get into farming and value-addition as there is potential. And when you are doing farming, do it with love and passion.”