ABOUT US

OUR STORY

"Panikeke is the Pacific Term for ‘Pancake’; Usually comes in the form of a deep fried pancake ball or our founders favourite; homemade flat fried panikekes (pancakes) smoothered in lots of butter and strawberry jam *yum*"

 

This iconic island treat has played a pivotal role in our founders upbringing.

From frying up Panikeke's in the kitchen before the age of five, to being the number one go to dish when there's nothing to eat in the cupboards.

The story of the humble Panikeke has always held a deep connection with our founder and inspires many memories of the humble beginnings growing up with nothing, in South Auckland.

"'My grandmother Siliva, loved panikekes and I would always cook her the flat panikekes with a fresh cup of tea everyday, this was our daily ritual. It's what kept us full when we had nothing to eat. My Nana always told me that when there's nothing to eat, there will always be flour and sugar in the cupboard, water in the tap and with that you can make panikeke's. This taught me an important life lesson which I carry throughout my journey and that is the power of being resilient! Simply being resourceful to create something so delicious from absolutely nothing is magic!" -kiteli

At Panikeke, we believe these humble beginnings have helped create who we are as a brand and is why we work tirelessly to create products that represent the Pacific!

"Panikeke is a brand I created for the pacific! When I fell in love with the world of business, I always knew it had to serve a purpose! Creating a brand inspired and created for the Pacific has always been my Why? its what has connected me back to my ancestors and to my beloved Nana Siliva"

"I've always seen so much potential in the Pacific and have been undermined by so many, that just because we come from these tiny islands and have limited resources, we have nothing to offer to this world. This is why I created Panikeke! To fight this status quo, that their is value in the Pacific with one panikeke at a time" - kiteli

Panikeke is a brand for the Pacific! The Pacific Island Beauty Shop!!

Home to everything Panikeke beauty galore from our own line of Pacific inspired beauty products, jewellery, trendy accessories, fashion, gifts and more!

FRESH OUTTA THE PAN

THE BIRTH OF PANIKEKE✨

Founded in a small room in the suburbs of South Auckland, by a Young Pacific Entrepreneur, Kiteli.

Panikeke was created in early 2016, out of the pure frustration of not being able to find pacific made products or any products at all that were made using Pacific ingredients or made by Pacific People.

During this start up phase, our founder encountered soo many obstacles along the journey, but being told NO! numerous times, that there was no market for a pacific brand was the fuel that kept him going.

To fulfill this vision and to prove the naysayers wrong, our founder took the leap of faith and created Panikeke (originally named Pancake) inspired by his upbringing, as a space to test and sell all his pacific made products and ideas at local markets. Kiteli felt that his story behind Panikeke is what his people would relate to and that the silver lining in this would help elevate the Pacific.

What he found so interesting is that even though people were saying no, the market was saying yes. Humbly starting out by selling his products at the Otara Flea Markets with one table, one soap, one lotion and a small range of earrings. Kiteli completely sold out at his first market, the success from this lead to many more Panikeke Pop-ups around Auckland in the coming years, to the Panikeke product range growing rapidly and eventually leading us to humbly open our First PANIKEKE brick and mortar store in the heart of South Auckland in 2020, amidst a global pandemic.

Now, with a vast range of Panikeke Products under our belt, a growing number of Panikeke shops and an ever growing social presence in the Pacific and global market. The heart of Panikeke has always been to create a brand for the Pacific and to showcase the beauty of the Pacific to the world

"The Panikeke brand is forever growing and evolving, I am so excited to see what panikeke goodies come out of the Panikeke kitchen next and what awaits us in the Panikeke future"

 #TYJ #kiteli