Tukilamulamu Traditions: The Story behind Tonga’s True Vava’u Beauty Line

In the heart of Nuku’alofa, inside a shop filled with the rich scent of coconut oil, earthy tuitui, and calming sandalwood, you’ll find a little piece of Vava’u — bottled, blended, and beautifully handcrafted. This is TRUE VAVA’U IMPORTS & EXPORTS, a family-run gift shop and skincare manufacturer that has quietly made waves in Tonga’s natural wellness scene.

True Vava’u Import & Export Gift Shop is more than just a retail destination — it is a cultural experience that allows tourists to take home a piece of Tonga’s beauty and heritage, all while supporting sustainable tourism practices.

But to understand this business, you need to go back to where it began — with a coconut, a banker-turned-entrepreneur, and a dream rooted in tradition.

Back in 2016, Yvette Guttenbeil-Paea retired from her banking career to support her husband in managing their guesthouses across Vava’u and Nuku’alofa. As she welcomed travelers from all over the world, she started handcrafting body and hair oils from coconuts — a humble gesture that quickly turned into a sought-after souvenir.

As interest grew, particularly from Tongans living overseas, she began receiving requests for Tuitui (Candlenut) Oil, a revered natural remedy known in Tonga for generations. What started as a side passion grew into a calling — one that would preserve tradition, empower communities, and tell a very Tongan story through skincare.

By 2017, Yvette was deep into studying Tonga’s ancestral beauty rituals. Her research led to the rediscovery of Tukilamulamu — a traditional preparation method that means “crush and chew”, once used to extract the potent oils of Tuitui (Candlenut) and Feta’u (Tamanu). These oils became the foundation of the brand’s first products: healing oils and body scrubs, handcrafted with care.

Today, those same oils are still made using cold-press methods — a process upgraded thanks to a government grant in 2018 from the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development. With these enhancements came expansion: from two women employees to a thriving team of six, plus a network of village women across Tonga who manually crack, scoop, and sort the prized nuts.

Yvette’s granddaughter, Tiani Hettig, now 23, has stepped in as the business’s creative force, blending tradition with innovation. With her input, TRUE VAVA’U has launched an extended product line: Tuitui bath soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and even skin treatments combining Feta’u and Castor oils.

What makes their work even more remarkable is how deeply community-rooted the model is. Villagers from Vava’u, Ha’apai, ‘Eua, Tongatapu, and Niua Toputapu are the source of raw materials, and even children collecting nuts during school holidays help boost family incomes and pay for school fees.

And when supplies run low? They put out a call on the local radio, and their island network delivers — quite literally — with cash-on-delivery systems that support economic empowerment at the grassroots.

Unlike other Pacific skincare producers who focus on coconut oil, Tonga is proudly the only one making skincare from Tuitui nuts. While the Cook Islands also use Tamanu, Tonga’s blend of Tuitui and Feta’u oils is special — thanks to the unique medicinal properties and traditional methods behind each bottle.

In 2024, TRUE VAVA’U began harvesting Castor Oil from naturally growing plants and adding fragrant ingredients like ylang ylang flowers, cinnamon, lemongrass tea, spices, sandalwood, and even sea grass root, all sourced from local growers and gardens.

Their dedication has taken them to Trade Shows in Tonga, New Zealand, the USA, and China — where they proudly represented not only their brand but a piece of Tonga’s living heritage.

With hopes of securing a new grant in 2025 to scale operations through DT Global, the team at TRUE VAVA’U is setting its sights beyond the Tongan shores. Yvette envisions Natural Health Shops throughout the Kingdom and overseas partnerships that can share the value of Tukilamulamu with a global audience.

But ask her what really sets them apart, and she’ll tell you — it’s not just the product.

“It’s the people, the land, and the legacy in every drop.”

If you’re in Nuku’alofa, make time to visit the TRUE VAVA’U Gift Shop and explore their classic and new lines of oils, scrubs, soaps, and teas — each telling a story of heritage, healing, and homegrown innovation.

Because in Tonga, beauty isn’t just skin deep — it’s cultural, communal, and consciously crafted.

ENDS.

Photo Credits: Ministry of Tourism Tonga

Source: Ministry of Tourism Tonga