Overview of Essence Group Fiji
What we do...
Debra Sadranu first came to Fiji in the 1990s and established the Spa Academy Fiji, Spa Operations & Consultancy and manufacturing of skincare products sold in Luxury Five Star Hotels and Spas throughout Fiji, now exported Internationally. For over 25 years Debra’s passion in helping women in Fiji gain access to training and employment to improve their quality of life. Spa Academy Fiji, now a CIDESCO International accredited school, sponsors, trains, and provides students with workplace training. Many are single mothers, often from remote and rural areas, and have struggled to get training and secure employment in the past.
Essence Group/ Fiji, a health and wellness business centred on supporting local economic development goals. The Groups Skin & Health brands advocate the importance of organic capturing the true meaning of holistic health. Organic Nama Sea Grapes hand harvested from the Blue Lagoon waters of Fiji, show their committed focus on creating revenue and improving the livelihood of women in the villagers of Fiji. The company has a totally integrated operation specializing in Spa Training, Spa Operations & Skincare Manufacturing.
Sea to Skin Therapies
In 2014 Debra took her passion for skin care into designing skincare formulas, founding Essence Group/ Fiji, a Spa Tourism business centered on supporting local economic development goals.
Debra’s extensive knowledge of the benefits of sea minerals for the skin led her to explore the various types of local seaweed. Through her partnership with James Cook University in Australia, Debra learned that Nama (‘sea grapes’ Caulerpa racemosa), a longtime local Fijian delicacy, has incredibly beneficial properties for the skin due to its high concentration of minerals and vitamins. Nama ‘sea grapes’ is considered the ‘Rolls Royce’ amongst the different types of seaweeds around the world. Nama Fiji and VS NamaFit Skincare emerged from Debra’s love and passion for the Island and its rich natural aquaculture resources, providing organic key ingredients for her sea to skin therapies.
The Essence Group outlet based in Nadi is the House of Nama Fiji , Nama Spa & VS and caters to both local and tourism clientele. Therapeutic Spa treatments, factory outlet and manufacturing for both local and export markets.
Nama Fiji provides much needed revenue to the women harvesters improving the livelihood of their Yasawa village community.
The Essence Team
Meet Our Team
To be a sustainable and ethically conscious skincare brand that is building a socially responsible enterprise for our planet’s future. Create employment and expand the harvesters’ economic advancement.
It’s not just about making world class products, equally important is caring for our community and sustainably using what Mother Nature has to offer. We are focused on improving the livelihood of Fijian rural women & communities through training, employment and Nama harvesting in the Fijian villages of the Yasawa Islands. To us environmental & social responsibility isn’t just a mission, it permeates every facet of what we do.
Our philosophy has always been to provide the simplest formulas, made with ingredients in their most natural state, to help achieve healthy skin. The key to youthful looking skin is skin hydration.
Debra Sadranu first came to Fiji in the 1990s and established the South Pacific Beauty & Spa Academy, with an extensive background in Beauty Therapy she also created locally made skincare products sold in Luxury Five Star Hotels and Spas throughout Fiji for over 15 years. Debra’s passion for helping women in Fiji gain access to training and employment to improve their quality of life has contributed to the companies mission and vision goals. Spa Academy Fiji, now a CIDESCO International accredited school, sponsors, trains, and provides students with workplace training. Many are single mothers, often from remote and rural areas, and have struggled to gain training and secure employment in the past. Her work with woman harvesters supplying Nama for the company’s skincare brands has played a major role in impacting the livelihood of the women from the Yasawa region.
Debra SadranuFounder & Director of Essence Group FijiVetaia Sadranu, the brand owner – Debra Sadranu’s son is the name and owner of the VS skincare range, he is an aspiring basketball player with dreams to play international basketball and potentially play professionally in the Australian NBL one day. Vetaia developed ‘VS’ to carry his late father’s legacy in supporting his village but also wanted to create a skincare suitable for active sports people like him. He wanted a skincare product that would be best suited to skin hydration and cater to self-care conscious men.
Vetaia SadranuThe Brand Owner