Vanuatu kava finds new market in Australian pet industry
March 6, 2025 9:55 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook
By Doddy Morris.
Vanuatu’s world-renowned noble kava is biting into in an unexpected industry—pet care.
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Australia Kava Shop, Prime Holdings (Vanuatu), and Byron Bay Dog Peanut Butter Company (Australia) have launched Kalm K9, a first-of-its-kind dog treat designed to ease anxiety in dogs.
In a statement issued by Australia Kava Shop the launch of Kalm K9. Kalm K9 is a revolutionary dog treat designed to alleviate anxiety in dogs.
“Officially released in February, Kalm K9 uses cutting-edge Vanuatu noble kava aqueous extract technology,’’ said the Australia Kava Shop.
The company said it is a first in utilizing the calming properties of Vanuatu’s treasured kava plant in pet care.
“The product combines Prime Kava’s extract with the rich flavors of Byron Bay Dog Peanut Butter to create a tasty, all natural and effective solution for dog anxiety,” they said.
The innovative minds behind Kalm K9 are Cameron McLeod and James Armitage who have both had long been at the forefront of kava product development and have a storied history of collaborations in the market.
“Their past ventures include the creation of popular products such as Lava Cola, Kava Chocolate, and a host of other kava-based innovations that have delighted consumers worldwide and locally at the iconic (but now closed) Kava Emporium store in Port Vila,” Australia Kava also stated.
According to Mr McLeod, it might be a little hard to grasp in Vanuatu, but Australians are known for their love of their dogs.
“There are many anxious dogs out there that will bark endlessly, tear up the house, run away during storms, and suffer from a host of other issues because of their anxiety,’’ he said.
‘’The owners of these dogs find themselves having to cater to their dogs’ anxiety, which can lead to a drop in their own quality of life.”
James Armitage from Prime Kava said when using Prime Kava’s Vanuatu kava extract, they had found that when it was applied to peanut butter, it made for a tasty dog treat.
“We ran testing on a range of dog breeds over four months. In all cases, the anxious dog symptoms stopped within five minutes,” he said.
People who have used Kalm 9 in a review stated that their small dog gets extremely agitated when travelling anywhere in the car. Kalm K9 calmed them down noticeably, making trips more enjoyable.
The Product Kalm K9 is now available in Australia through Australia Kava Shop. However, plans to bring the product to the US and Asia markets are already underway.
“A lot more people have anxious dogs than drink kava around the world. With both the US and Asian markets known for their love of dogs, we will be expanding into those markets in late 2025.” said James Armitage.
