What happened to Squanch Kava?
- Thread starter AvaCat
- Start date
Kava Mike
Kava Curious
The last pound of squanch I got was very weak. Didn’t get anything out of it. That’s the first time that ever happened with squanch. In my experience all the formally potent Fijian kavas that I used to get are either not available or are much weaker than they used to be. It really is unfortunate. The frustrating part is nobody is saying much about it.
I suspect as demand and prices go up the mass producers may accept younger plants as regular stock. I have no idea if that is accurate but it could track. You can still find premium kava but the price tag will match.
Kava Mike
Kava Curious
I understand that the tariffs were 32% for a little while and that would certainly explain certain things. I heard that a lot of good quality Fijian kava was being sent to Australia instead of the USA. However, the current tariff rate is 15%. I would have no problem paying extra for good quality kava but if retailers are selling poor quality they are going to lose consumer confidence and that might be what’s happening here. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve wasted money on kava that does nothing. It’s getting to the point that I only stick with a few suppliers and currently three of them have nothing for sale.
nabanga
Kava Enthusiast
I was in Fiji in April and Kavatime have a modern facility near Nadi airport - but they were low on stock. I got the impression after emailing their manager trying to orgase a bulk airport pickup that they now send most stock to Australia because of a combination of the dumb US tariffs and relaxation of the Aussie kava rules.
kasa_balavu
Yaqona Dina
Yes, sourcing has become difficult because supply can't keep up with demand right now.
The smaller vendors (like Squanch) can't get decent kava at all, and even the big vendors who have years-long relationships with serious exporters are having a hard time.
The smaller vendors (like Squanch) can't get decent kava at all, and even the big vendors who have years-long relationships with serious exporters are having a hard time.
KavaTime are shutting down. Or at least that's what I'm assuming, as they started selling off all their plant machinery (worth around usd$150k) in April.
AvaCat
Kava Curious
I have noticed quite the uptick for kava sold on social media platforms, many different companies. Most selling instants or extracts as alcohol replacement ect
kasa_balavu
Yaqona Dina
In Fiji the problem is low supply due to farmers being unable to stomach the risk of heavy losses due to a combination of kava dieback disease (CMV) and theft.
I can't speak to the situation in Vanuatu but I assume the extract market (evil blue bottle company and their ilk) is behind the high demand there.
Fiji is the worlds largest consumer of kava, and the reduced domestic production combined with reduced imports (by volume) of Vanuatu kava means supply is really low here. Low supply means prices are high. When local processors can make just as much money supplying the local market (with low production costs) as they can exporting (high production cost to meet foreign standards), foreign buyers really have to work hard (and pay more) to keep supply going.
BTW I'm not involved in the industry at any level, so this is just conjecture on my part. Perhaps a vendor will chime in.
I can't speak to the situation in Vanuatu but I assume the extract market (evil blue bottle company and their ilk) is behind the high demand there.
Fiji is the worlds largest consumer of kava, and the reduced domestic production combined with reduced imports (by volume) of Vanuatu kava means supply is really low here. Low supply means prices are high. When local processors can make just as much money supplying the local market (with low production costs) as they can exporting (high production cost to meet foreign standards), foreign buyers really have to work hard (and pay more) to keep supply going.
BTW I'm not involved in the industry at any level, so this is just conjecture on my part. Perhaps a vendor will chime in.