About Us

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About Us – Spirit Trading

From a small fishing initiative to a growing community-driven business.

Spirit Trading was officially registered on 19th March 2025, but our story began long before that – on the shores of Teaoraereke and Betio, with nothing but a spear, determination, and the open ocean.

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Humble Beginnings (2019)

In 2019, the price of ocean and reef fish rose sharply due to increasing fuel costs. That's when Barao approached Tokobea – a master of spearfishing – and bought their first set of spearfishing gear. Together, they started Saturday fishing trips, waking up as early as 5 or 6am and fishing until noon, sometimes 2pm.

They had no boat at first – just the shores of Teaoraereke and Betio, the reef, and sheer determination. But they kept going for an entire year.

Barao dreamed of an outboard engine. Using his upcoming leave grant (worth $3,000), he applied for a personal loan of $900 from KPF to buy a 15hp Yamaha outboard engine from Taotin for around AUD 3,790. With that, they no longer had to swim – instead, they rented a community boat and rode out to their spearfishing spots. It was a turning point.

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Navigating Through COVID-19 (2020–2021)

At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. Despite restrictions and uncertainty, weekend fishing trips continued. They sold some fish to cover fuel and gear costs – and kept the rest for themselves.

One weekend afternoon, while returning from a spearfishing trip, they saw a group of ocean fishermen unloading around 64 skipjack tuna. Before they could even bring their own gear ashore, all the tuna were sold out.

That moment changed everything. They decided to join ocean fishing trips – using their 15hp engine on a rented fiberglass boat ($10 per day).

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The Birth of "Spirit" (Early 2021)

By the End of 2020, they were preparing ocean fishing gear, with Tokobea leading the way – Barao was still learning the ocean fishing grounds.

In February 2021, Barao's sister-in-law and her husband bought a wooden fishing boat from "Blue Star" boat builders and named it "Spirit".

Even during curfew hours, the fishing trips continued. The fishermen agreed: spending hours roaming the ocean for fish was more worthwhile than staying on land, especially with limited market hours during the day. Most of them were family members and neighbours from Tibereti, Temakin – Betio.

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Passing the Torch

Soon after, the sister-in-law's husband received a scholarship from AusAid. They asked Kakiateiti (Barao's wife) to buy the "Spirit" fishing boat and continue the family initiative they had started.

From that moment on, the name Spirit – and the business initiative behind it – lived on.

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Spirit Trading Today

Officially registered in March 2025, Spirit Trading is more than a business. It's a family legacy born from the ocean – rooted in the communities of Teaoraereke and Betio, built on resilience, and driven by the belief that small beginnings can lead to something greater.

Welcome to Spirit.

The journey continues.