Vetiver Solutions began in Minnesota in 2016 and is composed of a team of passionate individuals with a vision of a better world.

In 2013, CEO Jesse Abelson traveled to Haiti for the first time to volunteer at a hospital in Port-Au-Prince. During that week, he witnessed countless deaths and illnesses as a direct result of extreme poverty and malnutrition, which continues to plague Haiti. Returning home to finish his studies at the University of Minnesota, he was determined to find long-term solutions for critical problems in Haiti that were leading to the human suffering he had observed.

The opportunity to make a difference arose when Jesse’s friend, Leeore, invited him to take a Grand Challenge course offered at the University of Minnesota. In the course, they met Dalton, who would become the Chief Financial Officer of Vetiver Solutions. With the mutual goal of creating a self-sustaining business that was both profitable and impactful, the team launched the original plans for Vetiver Solutions in 2016.

By March 2017, Vetiver Solutions was awarded its first funding through the University of Minnesota to implement its pilot project— a business that turned vetiver grass into a cash crop, while simultaneously improving farm fields and roads in rural Haiti and also providing Haitian farmers with a new source of income. This support from the Acara Institute and later the Institute on the Environment allowed the team to make two more trips to Moreau, Haiti for research and development of vetiver fiber products.

In spring of 2018, Vetiver Solutions participated in the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge, a national competition for over 150 student-owned businesses sponsored by the University of St. Thomas and Best Buy founder Dick Schulze. Over the course of the three day competition, Vetiver Solutions won the Social Impact prize and Fourth Place overall and $25,000 in cash prizes. This incredible award allowed Vetiver Solutions to officially launch as a public benefit corporation in Minnesota, and has allowed the company to focus on product development, environmental impact, and our social impact model rather than fundraising.

Vetiver Solutions is the first company in the world to process vetiver fibers in an innovative way allowing for finished goods using the fibers. Working closely with the community in Moreau, we ensure the vetiver fiber products meet their needs, while gaining their feedback every step of the way. Dr. Jeff Losier, a resident from Moreau that has advocated for the community internationally, has been a key partner and close friend every step of the journey.

During one of our recent trips to the village in January 2019, our partners proposed another way to grow our business and support their sustainable farming efforts — bee products. The Farmer’s Association in Moreau is a cooperative group that works together to provide for the community and innovate solutions for the environmental and economic challenges they face. The head of the Farmer’s Association, Citadel, began raising bee populations this year to supplement his income and improve the health of his crops. He has partnered with us to sell the honey and beeswax from his hives in the U.S., to invest in his farming efforts and increase income for the Farmer’s Association.

This brings us to today — Vetiver Solutions is excited to grow and evolve to meet the needs of the community in rural Haiti. We incorporate vetiver, honey, and beeswax into many different types of products, continually investing in sustainable farming that improves soil health and reduces the effects of deforestation.