Josveek Huligar is reviving and reinventing an Anguilla tradition and taking it to new heights. Josveek Huligar’s entrepreneurial CV is the stuff of legend. A veritable jack-of-all-trades, Huligar is no stranger to having his hand in different things. Locally, he’s most popularly known as a photographer and videographer through his Anguilla Access brand.
At various times, though, he has run a tour business, done online marketing, is trained in stonemasonry and even launched and run a successful fashion expo for several years. Most recently, Huligar used his skills in videography to offer real-time video broadcast of Anguilla’s favorite pastime, boatracing, in his Captain’s Lounge venture. His latest endeavor, Anguilla Sands and Salts, is one that combines two of Anguilla’s few natural resources — salt and sand into an artisanal business of gifts, souvenirs and jewelry. It is also a business that was born out of necessity.
September 6, 2017 is forever etched in the minds of everyone connected to Anguilla. Hurricane Irma arrived with 200 mph winds and ravaged Anguilla’s 35 square miles, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake. Among the casualties was the old wooden pump house in Sandy Ground. Most recently a premium entertainment venue, it was originally at the heart of Anguilla’s salt industry and stood as one of the last vestiges of the island’s salt-picking past.
In a case of bittersweet serendipity, these same unfortunate circumstances also created the environment for the genesis of a new take on centuries-old tradition, as it forced Huligar’s hand regarding his business. “I lost a lot of my equipment in Irma,” Huligar explains. “The hurricane also damaged my other income stream, but it opened the door for me to commit all my focus to Anguilla Sands and Salts and Salts.” Bootstrapped from income earned through his other ventures, Anguilla Sands and Salts is a local, family-owned and operated business, spearheaded by Josveek, with help from his father Johnny, and brother Jahsee. It was the elder Huligar that gave Josveek the idea in the first place.
“My father had been always ‘harassing’ me about going down to the salt pond and assessing the possibilities of consulting with government about bringing the pond back to production level,” Huligar smiles. “I thought it was tedious, and too much trouble over a short period of time, since salt is only harvested seasonally. When I found myself without any means of income, I knew I had to do something meaningful about my interest in salt.”
Still, there was already an established player in the local salt market, the Anguilla Sea Salt Company in Island Harbour, which had been in business for a few years. In the spirit of collaboration, Huligar reached out to explore the possibility of a partnership. “I was rather reluctant about the idea of there being two salt companies on Anguilla,” he says. “After having discussions with the proprietor, and found that the company was actually phasing out its operations but was willing to sell at $5 million. So, after assessing the possibilities and potentials, I embarked upon a plan to manufacture both edible and bath salts.”
Historically, open air salt-picking was made possible by the fact that Anguilla has a semi-arid climate, characterized by long stretches of drought. The major drawback is that production is always at the mercy of the elements. To remedy this, Huligar and his production team made up of Julian Hodge and Anesia Powell, now carr out their salt production in a controlled environment at a purpose-built facility in South Hill. The resulting salt crystals are then used to create products in three broad categories: edible, therapeutic and cosmetic.
For the edible products, the salt is crystallized then infused, in vacuum seals, with various flavors such as ginger, onion, garlic, and cayenne pepper, then packaged for sale. For the therapeutic and cosmetic product lines, essential oils and fragrances are added to the crystals to create bath salts and scrubs.
The “sands” portion of the venture comprises souvenirs and jewelry items made with sand from the island’s many beaches. Each piece —currently includes keychains, pendants and earrings — displays sand in a handmade setting. Some of the items have sand from more than one beach with a few having up to a combination of four, for those shoppers who simply cannot pick a favorite.
“We have sand from close to 50 beaches at the moment, quite a number of which are unknown to most people,” Huligar pointed out. In looking to grow the business, Anguilla Sands and Salts’ next goal is to introduce additional fragrance and flavor lines, as well as add a few more beaches to the current sands offering.
At the moment, the biggest challenge is a logistical one. With many of their customers being Anguilla lovers and visitors who live overseas, getting the product from Anguilla to the world is proving a tough task. “Shipping out of Anguilla is our main headache,” Huligar explains. “There’s no reliable way to track items we have sent through our post office.” Nevertheless, Huligar is forging ahead, and is keen to do social good and leave a positive imprint on Anguillian society. He cites the high youth unemployment rate the island is grappling with as a major motivation for his business to be successful.
“Anguilla has only ever had two exports — salt and fish. With the advent of tourism, no one picks salt any longer, but Anguillians are still looking for work. Every year, the kids graduate from school with nothing to do and nowhere to go.” he explains. “In my wildest dreams, I’d want Anguilla Sands and Salts to become a major player in Anguilla’s development. We’d love for young Anguillians who leave school to have the opportunity to be employed with us, to save money, and to go off to study without being a burden on their parents.”
Visit www.AnguillaSands.com to purchase these unique items or look out for our pop-up shops!
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