Kava Is Back - And Why Vanuatu Kava Has Become So Valuable

Kava has been part of MindFuel since 2004.

For more than two decades, we have watched kava move from a relatively obscure Pacific botanical into a much more widely appreciated and sophisticated product. Today, people can explore individual Vanuatu cultivars, compare their characteristics and develop very particular preferences about the kava they drink.

We are pleased to have our full Vanuatu range available again after an unusually long period out of stock.

Why were we out of stock?

The simple answer is that global demand for quality Vanuatu kava has increased dramatically.

Our supplier has been experiencing exceptionally high demand, particularly from overseas markets, while supply and preparation capacity have struggled to keep pace.

That has created a bottleneck.

Rather than switching to cheaper material or compromising on the quality of the kava we offer, we chose to wait for our regular supply to become available.

We are genuinely grateful to our Vanuatu supplier for continuing to work with us through this period.

Kava prices have changed

There is no point pretending that the cost of premium kava has stayed where it was a few years ago.

The cost of our Vanuatu kava has risen substantially, and the increase has been particularly noticeable over the last few months.

That means our new retail prices are higher than customers who have bought from us previously will remember.

We have nevertheless worked to keep the range structured sensibly, with more accessible cultivars at the lower end and our rarest and highest-cost cultivars at the premium end.

We have also retained smaller 50g and 100g packs so that customers can explore different cultivars without committing to a large bag.

Why we continue to source premium Vanuatu kava

As nightly kava drinkers ourselves, for us, kava has never simply been a commodity.

There is an enormous difference between generic bulk kava and carefully selected Noble Kava from established Vanuatu sources.

Kava is a diverse plant. Cultivar, root type, growing conditions, processing and preparation can all contribute to the character of the finished product.

That is why our Elevated Botanicals range includes individual cultivars such as Melomelo, Borogu, Palasa, Bir Kar and Palarasul, alongside traditional-style blends and specialty basal and lateral root selections.

We would rather offer fewer genuinely great kavas than fill the range with whatever happens to be cheapest.

Kava Has Been With Us Since 2004

We first began supplying kava in Aotearoa in 2004, and it has remained one of the foundations of MindFuel ever since.

A lot has changed since those early days. Kava has moved from a relatively niche Pacific botanical to a much more widely appreciated product, the quality available to New Zealand drinkers has improved enormously, and the global market has become increasingly competitive.

We've recently had a longer-than-usual gap in supply, but after more than two decades of sourcing and supplying kava, we're very pleased to have our Vanuatu range back.

The reason we continue to supply it is basically the same as it was at the beginning:

We love good kava.

And we're proud to continue bringing exceptional Vanuatu kava to kava drinkers in Aotearoa.

The Elevated Botanicals Vanuatu Kava range is now back in stock, including our premium cultivars and larger 250g, 500g and 1kg sizes.

If you've been waiting for your favourite kava, or you've always wanted to explore beyond generic kava powder, now is a good time to revisit the range.

Explore Elevated Botanicals Kava →