Vanuatu businessman secures meat export licence for Australia-Vanuatu trade

October 16, 2024 9:54 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

By Doddy Morris.

A Vanuatu-owned business, Tove Eats Limited, a family company based in Port Vila, has officially acquired a licence to export chicken directly from Australia to Vanuatu.

Operating locally as Tove Foods, this new development positions Tove Eats as a direct competitor to existing Australian suppliers in the Vanuatu market.

Julian Ligo, the owner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tove Eats Ltd, explained his motivation behind this noteworthy move, saying they had previously been buying from Australian distributors and, at one stage, shared the same supplier as HXM and Dynamic.

“When an Australian distributor sold our six containers bound for Vanuatu without notifying us, I realised that things needed to change,” he said.

This experience prompted Ligo to pursue the export licence, enabling him to take control of the supply chain and improve service reliability.

“We have now become the first Vanuatu-based company to hold an export licence from the country of origin. I am committed to competing with those suppliers on price and going head-to-head with their charges,” he said.

Ligo noted that Tove Eats Ltd and the Australian distributors receive the same farm gate rates, allowing Tove Eats to leverage its advantages in quantity and distribution.

“I will outdo them in terms of quantity and the ability to supply all of Vanuatu, ensuring our prices remain affordable and reasonable for consumers,” he said.

Currently, Tove Eats Ltd sources from farm gates in both Australia and New Zealand. While New Zealand halted all exports to the South Pacific following the arrival of avian influenza, Tove Eats Ltd has received approval for exports from New Zealand to Vanuatu, ensuring continued supply despite recent challenges.

Tove Eats Ltd plans to introduce major Australian and New Zealand brands to retailers and wholesalers across Vanuatu. Ligo emphasised that there is no monopoly or supply restriction for these top brands in the country.

“These brands offer better quality and more competitively priced chicken cuts for Vanuatu consumers,” he said.

Additionally, Tove Eats Ltd is supplying the Solomon Islands with six full container loads of chicken cuts each month to a local distributor, further expanding its regional presence.