South Seas Salt - Fiji Artisan Salt
Twenty years ago, a barbecue on a beach in Egypt led English couple Alex and Will to a life in Fiji.
“We never meant to stay this long, but the moment we saw the islands, the sea, the reefs, we were in love.”
Though new to the business and the South Pacific, they drew on that passion to set up a PADI dive operation at five-star Tokoriki Island Resort, building it into one of the most highly regarded dive centres in Fiji, with plaudits including a Tripadvisor Travellers Choice award for 2020.
“If you love something deeply, you can communicate that love without any effort – our diving guests felt it,” says Alex, “then we added all of the small details learnt from working in a prestigious luxury resort.”
Two decades in, Will and Alex’s ‘Tokoriki Diving’ had weathered fall outs from 9/11, SARS, the GFC, plus the devastation of Cyclone Winston. Lauded for its conservation projects, enthusiasm, professionalism and customer service, the business was thriving. And with record forward bookings, future seemed even brighter. Then came COVID, and the closure of Fiji’s borders. The last dive they made was on 22 March 2020 – Alex’s 50th birthday.
Overnight income stopped. With no benefits or furloughs, suddenly they were living on savings.
Initially they concentrated on preparing the dive centre for reopening in the new normal. When the lockdown ended, they moved – temporarily, they thought - to their sandalwood and fruit farm on the mainland. The plan was to make the most of things - plant some more trees and enjoy their first good break for years. But as the weeks turned to months, they knew they had to do something.
In a nation awash with beautiful vistas the view from the farm is still something special, past rain trees to distant islands and the surf at ‘Cloud Break,’ with the deep blue of the South Seas beyond. It was while gazing out at this pure clean ocean that Alex had her idea.
They had played around with making salt in the UK, then in Egypt and of course on Tokoriki, and even considered it as a retirement project. But one evening while eating dinner on their deck, seasoning the meal with sea salt brought back from family visits to the UK – well, it was obvious.
Knowing that they could already make salt was a good start! Going through the checklist of what was required, everything fitted into place. Sunshine – check, ocean breeze – check. Fresh air, proximity to the sea, access to some of the cleanest water in the world, a boat, a spare field on the farm…
And so South Seas Salt, Fiji’s first artisan salt company, was born.
“They say that you can never really leave the sea,” says Alex, “and we didn’t want to. So, while we may not be able to spend time under the water, we at least get to be on it. Just yesterday, when Will was doing a ‘seawater run’, he saw terns and turtles and had yellowfin tuna jumping around the boat!” Consequently, it has been easy to transfer that passion for the ocean into harvesting water from it and making beautiful salt.
The couple have a deep commitment to the environment, with zero waste and a minimal footprint of paramount importance. With this in mind, they researched and read and experimented and constructed.
After nearly a year of trials they are confident they are on the right track, with hand built salterns catching sun and wind to evaporate away the seawater. This takes time, and the yield is small, but the emphasis is on sustainability and quality rather than quantity.
The last word to Alex: “It is a beautiful, elemental process. Sea, sun, wind and time. And the results are everything we could wish for. Firstly, we get a fantastic sel gris, a finishing salt that shines like diamonds and is gentle and almost sweet. Then a more robust chef’s salt – a versatile blend of sel gris and traditional salt. And then finally mineral sea drops, a liquid rich in magnesium which can be used as a health supplement or within home spa products such as soaps and body scrubs, and in some ways is the most exciting of all. Three great products from the most natural of sources made in the most natural of ways, with absolutely no waste. It’s perfect.”
With culinary salts already being enjoyed by customers of Fiji’s top restaurants, South Seas Salt is soon to launch a range of sea salt-based health and wellness products.
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