About us

Kava farmed in Madang,
exported to the world

A Papua New Guinean producer and exporter, working with growers in Madang Province to supply noble kava to processors, distributors and pharmaceutical companies internationally.

The KAVA PNG team with a load of kava root in Madang
Collection day, Madang Province

Rooted in Madang


Madang's volcanic soils and steady rainfall make it some of the best kava-growing country in the Pacific. We farm there, and we work alongside local growers who have cultivated kava on the same ground for generations.

Our role is to bring that root to international buyers without losing what makes it good — harvesting at maturity, drying naturally, cleaning thoroughly, and packing to the standards our destination markets require.

Registered entity PNG Kava Exporters Ltd

Leadership

Rooted in Madang,
grown for the world


Justin B Sarimbu

A Papua New Guinean civil engineer and Chief Executive Officer of the JBS Investment Group. He founded JBS Engineers Limited in Brisbane in 2009, having migrated to Australia as a professional civil engineer in 2004.

The group has since expanded well beyond engineering — botanical kava export, alluvial gold trading, plant hire, security services, vehicle rentals, restaurants and finance lending across the south-western Pacific. He established PNG Kava Exporters Ltd with his Fijian directors after seeing worldwide demand for noble kava.

He leads a team of seasoned kava experts and industry advisers supplying well-dried premium noble kava — Lewena and Waka — from Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to international buyers. Outside the business he sponsors rugby league, works to maintain peace in communities, and supports the churches.

“Sharing Is Caring.”

Get in touch directly

Managing Director of KAVA PNG
Managing Director

The people who handle your consignment

Every bag that leaves Madang passes through their hands.

Titus Newman, Operations Manager

Titus Newman

Operations Manager

Manoa Mikaele, Kava QA Specialist

Manoa Mikaele

Kava QA Specialist

Alex Ito, Farmers Coordinator

Alex Ito

Farmers Coordinator

Marcella Mansa, Office Administrator

Marcella Mansa

Office Administrator

Stanley Jack, Lead Packer

Stanley Jack

Lead Packer

How we work

Cultivar integrity

Noble kava exclusively. Grades are separated at harvest, not sorted after the fact.

Natural drying

Sun-dried, never kiln-forced. It costs us time and it is the difference buyers can see and smell.

Growers we know

We buy from growers we work with directly, so we can stand behind where every consignment came from.

In their words

From the depot floor

Our orders arrive on time, and the kava roots we handle are of exceptional quality. Working here ensures we maintain reliability for international markets.
Alex ItoFarmers Coordinator
Stringent selection of high-quality kava is paramount — we don't settle for less. We train our farmers to harvest, dry, wash and dry again, and bring to our depot to sell top-quality farmed kava only. We pay them competitive money, on time, and we treat them with high regard.
Marcella MansaOffice Administrator
Twenty PNG men working with this team has been seamless. We ensure only high-quality kava chips and Waka roots are carefully packed in bags and stacked in sea containers, closely supervised by our kava experts from Fiji.
Stanley JackLead Packer
Direct supply

Work with a producer, not a middleman

We farm it, dry it, pack it and ship it. Speak to the people who handled your consignment.

Contact us