This husband and wife team farm 80 acres of farmland with their son and one employee. They grow lemon, orange, cocoa, ava, and coconuts.

Over the last 15 years, they have been focused on replanting their coconut trees. The younger trees, while they can take up to 12 years to fruit, when they do the coconuts are A-grade large nuts.

Their work is hard due to the nature of the soil is more volcanic rock than soil, but this mineral-rich land provides the best growing ground for their organic produce. Pule’s father who farmed the land prior to his son taking over dictated they should never use chemical as the land would supply all they needed.

They aim to collect 1500 coconuts per week to help the family. They enjoy the relationship with Fuatino Coconut oil as we pay a premium price but also take all the nuts they can collect each week which gives them the confidence they can rely on a consistent sale and not have to travel an hour each way to the Savaii Market.

Farm Cattle, cacao, coconuts. They collect 500 nuts from their 20-acre farm each week to supplement their income that helps to support both brothers families.

23 years ago they decided to plant coconut trees on their family plantation as they suit the rocky volcanic terrain of their farm. The rocky nature makes the collection hard but it means they have little in the way of weeds to fight with, so the bush knife has always been a better alternative to plantation maintenance than and non-organic spray solution.

Vaai Plantation is a 120-acre plantation started by their great great grandfather. In the past, the plantation has employed over 200 people per day to harvest and maintain the farm. Currently, they are employing 8 people but the goal with a focus on coconuts and cacao they are aiming again for the plantation to become a powerhouse for the employment of the surrounding villages.

They collect spend two days a week collecting coconuts and can supply 2000-3000 coconuts a week, of which 75% are sold to Fuatino while the other 25% do not meet the standard and are sold to farmers for copra oil. Other days are spent maintaining the farm and their other cash crop of cacao. The plantation support all of the branches of the great great grandfathers family consisting of 30 people.

The boys have big plans and under the watchful eye of their uncle are replanting the plantations coconut trees in sections with the first two sections already yielding coconuts.

Surrounded by untouched island wilderness and fed by a pristine volcanic spring, the 100-acre plantation has been in the family since their ancestors first arrived in Savaii. It still relies on traditional farming, albeit with some modern twists.

Isaako learned how to work the land from his father who spent his days toiling away at the farm, often with nothing to eat or drink but the coconut. While Isaako ventured far away from home and has studied and worked on commercial farms in the USA and China his goal was always to come back to the farm to become the guardian of the family land.

His farm produces 16,000 coconuts a week and employs 6 full time staff along with a village of helpers when it comes time to collect the coconuts.

These days, 45 cattle roam the grounds, keeping the grass down and making the coconuts on the ground easier to find. Come dusk, Isaako’s herd makes their way to the farm’s front gate. There, they wait for Isaako’s return. After he’s dropped off his staff at home, Isaako announces his return with a few gentle calls of ‘o mai’, Samoan for ‘come here’ and his cattle and horses make their way to him, some taking turns to nuzzle him while he enjoys a beer and tells them a story or sings them a song. Another successful day on the farm has drawn to a close.