A group of Christchurch students are swapping the rugby ball for soap and male moisturizer in a bid to win in the Young Enterprise Scheme, a national competition requiring students to set up businesses and turn a profit. They claim to be the first South Pacifica team to enter the competition and are aiming for the Pacific Achievement Award for the competition.
The six St Thomas of Canterbury College students, most of whom are Samoan or Tongan, are more comfortable on the rugby field, have set up their own soap company Ocean Fusion, selling shares to parents, teachers and peers to raise $500 start-up capital.
The company which sells luxury soap with ingredients sourced from Samoa, plans to donate profits to aid assistance in Samoa.
The students are hoping to sell 1000 bars of soap before the competition ends in September, but several of them are planning to keep the project on after school. Originally, they planned to start off with a male moisturiser but had trouble sourcing ingredients and paying for packaging so instead they started with the humble soap. The plan is still to move into male moisturizers, creating a viable business in the process.
17 year old Jordan Koloamatangi, said, while the idea had started as a school project, he now planned to continue with the Ocean Fusion business next year at Canterbury University. "As time went on we realised this was something we could grow," he said.
The soap was launched at school last Friday, with the first batch of 50 bars sold out on the first day. At present the soap is sold through the school canteen but the plan is to start distribution through local pharmacies and hotels.
Koloamatangi said South Pacific boys were mainly seen as sports lads so it was not surprising the group was the first South Island Pacifica team to enter the competition. Business is not a traditional area of interest for them.
The group makes up about a third of their College's first 15 and Thomas Scott, 18, said while their friends have been supportive there were some jokes about the moisturiser. "We got a little bit of stick but we're the ones making a profit."
The soap is made by Christchurch natural-beauty company Blue Earth and packaged by the students. They liken the soap's production to Icebreaker, with natural ingredients, such as tree resin, which can be traced back to the specific Samoan village they came from.
