Rise and Fall of a Multi-million Dollar Brand

Stacey King is an accomplished entrepreneur, corporate executive and philanthropist with tremendous experience in highlighting and advocating for the Banabans, an indigenous Pacific people, over many decades. She grew up in the carefree surrounds of Brisbane and Gold Coast Australia, where daily neighbourhood activities contributed to her adventurous spirit. With Stacey's unending belief that anything in life was possible, she began her first business venture and purchased her first property at just 15 years of age. Over the years, while raising three children, she turned many of her creative ideas into various business ventures. In 1990 she discovered a collection of old family photographs capturing four generations of her family's lives on a remote Pacific Island called Banaba. It would set her on a mission to write her first book, Nakaa's Awakening-Land of Matang and tell the world about the injustice and plight of the Banaban people. Stacey went on to establish an international organisation, the Banaban Heritage Society, working on many aid projects over the years. During subsequent meetings with Banaban elders, she was asked to tell their story and the truth behind their cultural identity. During this process, she met Ken Sigrah, a spokesman representing major clans on the island. They soon discovered their shared passion to seek justice for the Banaban people and to one day see the rehabilitation of the homeland left destroyed by mining. They held the belief that their lives and destiny were intertwined, bringing them together so they could try and right the wrongs of the past. In 2004 they founded Nature Pacific in Australia, to market virgin coconut oil from Ken's relatives back in Fiji. Stacey had already been involved in the natural health industry so marketing the family's coconut oil seemed a natural progression. It also provided the opportunity to get their brand to carry the Banaban name and story to a much broader audience. From humble beginnings working out of the family's small garage and with the assistance of their two daughters, the company would turn into a multi-million dollar global brand.