Help Kahuku Natural stand tall on our Soap Box! Creating Refill Stations for Plant Based Liquid Soaps for your Body, Home & Pets

By Vicki Bailey

NZ $1,310 pledged


5 people pledged


Closed


NZ $40,000 minimum target


3 3% Complete

This campaign failed to reach its target by 31/07/2019 at 10:00 PM (NZST) and is now closed.

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About

Help Kahuku Natural Stand Tall On Our Soap Box! Creating Refill Stations For Plant Based Liquid Soaps For Your Body, Home & Pets

Project 2019-01-29 14:22:12 +1300

Our Beef (Non Vegan Term…)

 

Do you use a soap bar, or a detergent bar? Kahuku Natural has created a stunning range of personal cleaning soaps, household cleaners, dog and horse shampoos all using non refined 100% natural oils and essential oils, and completely animal product free, plastic packaging free.  What's more, we are selling it in personal sizes and bulk, setting up refill stations around New Zealand.

 

Blah Blah Blah… yep heard it before?

I know there are tons of crafters and even companies touting these claims but few truly live up to it without putting some rubbish lab produced additive in their products, or can manufacture this way with scale. And many haven’t the training behind them from both the science and plant fields.

 

They might start out with the best intentions, but compromise their ethics by introducing lab chemicals, child and slave labour mined micas and pigments to give you pretty colours, or other nasty products to reduce the costs and increase profit. AND they aren't supplying the product with no plastic packaging or setting up refill stations!

 

 

So what's the nature of our Beast?

 

We are called Kahuku Natural. Kahuku is the Maori name for Monarch Butterfly.  Since I was a small girl I have raised Monarch Butterflies and released them every summer. Some summers I have released several hundred butterflies in a season. Kahuku population numbers are quickly reducing due to introduced wasps, and other environmental factors and they are so very important to our sustainability and healthy ecology.

 

The I in this story is me, Vicki Bailey. I tipped over 50 earlier this year, and have a wealth of corporate head of company managerial experience for some very large companies, a solid legal background, but more interestingly a passion for natural products, with 5 years tertiary study and qualifications in natural therapies, including all about oils and essential oils. The “we” is my devoted and ever patient husband and life partner of 30 years, who works alongside me in our other company and supports me in everything I do, not always without complaint, but support nonetheless! Family also support us, in important product testing roles, research and product development.

 

 

I am a science based person, and so both my training and my philosophies have to be based on fact. But whilst I am science based, I don’t like where science has taken us, and have a strong belief that some of the old fashioned ways, recipes and ingredients really are best. Plants have so much to offer us. So eventually my real passion has drawn me back, and after searching for products I could buy locally or import for distribution, I found they all contained yucky stuff, or just did not stay true ethically. I can’t abide animal cruelty, unsustainable practices, non ethical supply lines, or paying lip service to “catch phrase” eco-friendly bi-lines. So I got busy. In the first 5 weeks of business I sold more than $2,500 in soap bars, selling 1 day per week - yep, I was onto something. And we have grown rapidly from there. 

 

We are selling direct online, and we are proudly supply a Wellington CBD Eco Conscious Store and have our own shop in Auckland stocking our hard bar soaps, liquid soaps for personal use, gorgeous dog shampoos and household cleaners.

 

Our stores utilise our reuse, recycle, refill concept.  We supply our liquids in stunning 10L stainless steel canisters with the only bit of plastic we have anywhere in our product offering (until we can find a suitable substitute) in the way of a pump dispenser.  Customers can bring their own containers and refill.  Yep, we know, others are doing it - no one is doing this in New Zealand with 100% plant based soap. 

 

 

Our dog shampoos are really amazing! Our precious pup was scratching herself silly every time we bathed her using “natural shampoo”. So I formulated our own, and not only did she stop itching, her coat is gloriously soft, shiny, and we haven’t needed to flea her despite her being a long haired rough coat Border Collie who spends all day running around outside on our lifestyle property.

 

 

Our product is really really good… yep, we know it just isn’t the Kiwi way to talk yourself up, but sometimes it’s ok to do something great and tell others about it!

 

Product In our current range is: 

 

Hard Bar Soaps 

Shampoo Bars 

Liquid Hand & Body Wash 

Liquid Shampoo 

Hard Bar Soaps for animals with flea and tick inhibitors 

Liquid Shampoos for animals with flea and tick inhibitors 

Hair Rinses 

Dishwashing Liquid Soap 

Dishwasher Powder Washing Machine Powder 

Stain Removal Bars 

Fabric Softeners 

Deodorants 

Lip Balm 

Moisturiser 

Cleansers 

Toners 

General Purpose Household Spray Cleaners 

Toilet Cleaners 

Baby Wipes 

Makeup Removers

 

Yes! Products can be liquid and be in containers that aren’t plastic! You don’t have to give up liquids in order to give up the bottle.  Not one of our products is in plastic containers!

 

We have already made international sales through our online shop as well of course national. We have supplied soap for corporate gifts for companies.

 

 

 

What Gets our Goat (another non vegan term…)

 

We have met so many people using so called “natural”, “eco-friendly” and “ethical” products. Read the labels and google some of these ingredients. Not so nice after all! Formeldyhyde preservatives, micas and pigments for colours…

 

What's wrong with Micas and Pigments...??

 

Micas and pigments are mined destroying the earth, and they use child and slave labour. Sure, there are “ethically produced” micas and pigments, but these aren't certified so and can’t be verified. It’s a pretty murky supply chain - so why even go there when plants can provide beautiful colour??

 

Lab made Sulfates are used for slipperyness, softening and lathering. And fragrances and parfums - nothing natural there! And completely unnecessary.

 

If good quality unrefined oils are used, essential oils, and plant colourants, there is absolutely no need for anything else.

 

Our products absolutely, categorically 100% do not contain anything else, and will not be compromised. We will only ever use non refined oils, essential oils, plant preservatives, and colourants. Products made the old fashioned way! By using high quality oils and products, we do not need to introduce lab chemicals or synthetics to get high lather, creaminess, moisturising, colours, and heavenly aromas. Plants do this in nature, and we take this and infuse it in our products delivering it in a neat little usable package!

 

 

No Means No! 

 

NO Animal Products or Testing: We have already been certified by PETA Beauty Without Bunnies)

 

NO Palm Oil: We have already been certified by Orangutan Alliance)

 

NO Chemicals 

 

NO Synthetics

 

NO Fragrances or Parfums

 

NO Dyes, Micas, Pigments

 

 

And Yes means YES!

Product 100% New Zealand Made, 100% Plastic Free Sustainable Packaging:  We don’t pay lip service to sustainability or our earth friendly status. We don’t buy carbon credits to offset. We recycle everything! We don’t use plastic packaging, even right down to our courier packaging!

 

 

So Lets Talk about the Elephant in the Room... (yep, still non vegan!)

 

We want to take this new venture, inject it with steroids (all natural of course!!) and get this product to large scale market, and we need capital to do that. And if we can achieve our goals and grow a bit quicker, we can give more back to these Charities, provide jobs, and offer a really gorgeous and truly eco friendly product. Our promise is to not compromise once we grow, and continue to deliver our stunning products which smell so heavenly, clean and nourish the skin so beautifully, are kind on the environment and nuture Mind, Body & Soul. We know one NZ company in our field has made it on to the big stage with your help, perhaps you can help us to get a second one up there! Our product while similar has some distinct differences and so why not have 2 great NZ companies taking it to the world!

 

We want to buy equipment, and it ain’t cheap!

 

Currently we are making 50L batches of liquid soap concentrate using a series of 5L crockpots - yep time consuming, messy, and really difficult to maintain consistency.

 

We make our bar soap in batches of 20 bars at a time, and so on and so on.

 

We want to purchase:

Hard Bar Soap Making Equipment that will enable us to take our production to 300-10,000 bars a day.

 

Liquid Soap Making Equipment

 

Powder Slurry Oven

 

Powder Mixing Equipment

 

 

Our BHG… (Big Hairy Goal)

Some of the equipment for the Hard Bar Soaps can cross over and be used for the Liquid Soaps so we can save money there.  

 

The Hard Bar Soap Equipment costs $20,000

 

The additional Liquid Soap Equipment costs $5000

 

The Powder Slurry Oven will be used to take plant powders, mix them into a proprietary blend with liquid in a slurry, and bake, turning back into a powder form.  This means our “soap” or surfactant (to use the proper terminology) doesn’t need to be a detergent or lab based sulphate rubbish, and we can keep the range plant based and organic.  

 

The Oven costs $5000.

 

Reward Costs $5000

 

Powder Mixing Equipment will enable us to mix the powders for the slurry or for dishwashing powders, laundry powders in large scale capacity without breaking our arms!  

 

This Equipment costs $5000.  

 

Total goal is $40,000.  

 

If we raised more than $40,000 then this will be put toward the machining of non plastic dispensers for our cleaner range, and for the refill stations.

 

So you give us your hard earned $$ - what’s in it for you?

 

$20 A big thank you published to our Facebook page, and a personal card sent to you for being such a kind human being with a packet of Swan Plant Seeds to help us populate the world with Kahuku!

 

$30 Same same for $20, PLUS a bar of our gorgeous hard bar soap for your hand basin

 

$50 Same same for $20, PLUS a 150ml bottle of our Liquid Hand Wash

 

$75 Both the $30 Reward and the $50 Reward!

 

$100 $30 Reward + $50 Reward PLUS a 150ml bottle of our Dog Shampoo.  (PS: Dog Soap in both liquid and hard bar is still suitable for human use!  In fact, great for skin problems!!)

 

$250 $30 Reward + $50 Reward, 150ml bottle of Dog Shampoo, 2 Bars of Dog Soap, 150ml bottle of Dishwashing Liquid, 250 gm Bag of Laundry Powder

 

$500 $250 Reward + a selection of hard bar soaps (2) from our stunning and unique New Zealand Oil Range utilising gorgeous essential oils from New Zealand native plants, renowned for their healing and skin nourishing properties, a 250ml bottle of Spray Household Cleaner and a 250ml bottle of Liquid Castille Soap with our Dilution Sheet to guide you to making other household soaps and cleaners

 

$$$$ You set the amount, no Reward necessary - for the donor who is a wild animal and doesn’t want to be restricted by $$ or need a pat on head!  You beautiful beast you!

 

For overseas donors we will send you a selection of hard bar soaps as it isn’t practical to send the liquids.

 

All donors also receive a packet of Kahuku Plant Seeds to help our ecology!

 

Remember, Pledge Me only works if our total goal is achieved!  We need $40,000 and anything less means we will get nothing - please help us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before we Go… Releasing the Inner Butterfly

 

 

The business means for me, is a full metamorphosis and hence the name Kahuku. 

 

Reaping what we sow…. every sale gets a wee packet of seeds which we hope the recipient will plant and provide food for our little Kahuku caterpillars. Our customers can enjoy and revel in this epic and beautiful transition of life, feel the joy of releasing a beautiful creature to dance through their garden, and do one little thing for our ecology and environment. One small step at a time.  

 

And one last little thing, because we are grateful for the support of the Orangutan Alliance, and PETA we donate a percentage of our sales - yes sales, not profit - to these organisations, along with NZ Forest & Bird.  Please helps us keep growing our sales so we can spend our next 50 years on this Earth giving back to it!  

 

Comments

Updates 1

We created a monster!

10/07/2019 at 8:52 AM

Thank you so much to the generous few people who have pledged.  We are truly grateful, even though now at this stage it's an almost impossible target.

Our increased profile has meant we have had 500% growth in a month!  We have signed on 5 new shops around the country as stockists for our refill program. 

Our stockists love our circular concept meaning unlike other refill stations, our containers come back to us for refill too!  Our containers don't end up in landfill.  

So a big thank you, and if you can convince your friends we are worthy, let's give this a nudge! 

Vicki & Andrew

    Pledgers 5

    Peter Rowney
    01/07/2019 at 9:34pm
    Daniela
    18/06/2019 at 10:14am

    "Keeping fingers crossed:)"

    debby verdonk
    08/06/2019 at 10:31am

    "Go well. Great idea. Filtered water refills next somebody. In America you can bring your big bottles in to be refilled!"

    Kaye Neely
    07/06/2019 at 3:02pm
    Jenny Herbison-Ware
    04/06/2019 at 10:16pm

    "May you reach your goal Vicki and Andrew, great product with results and our precious fragile environment is at the heart of your product. Worth backing all the way. "

    Followers 1

    Followers of Help Kahuku Natural stand tall on our Soap Box! Creating Refill Stations for Plant Based Liquid Soaps for your Body, Home & Pets

    Help Kahuku Natural Stand Tall On Our Soap Box! Creating Refill Stations For Plant Based Liquid Soaps For Your Body, Home & Pets

    Project 2019-01-29 14:22:12 +1300

    Our Beef (Non Vegan Term…)

     

    Do you use a soap bar, or a detergent bar? Kahuku Natural has created a stunning range of personal cleaning soaps, household cleaners, dog and horse shampoos all using non refined 100% natural oils and essential oils, and completely animal product free, plastic packaging free.  What's more, we are selling it in personal sizes and bulk, setting up refill stations around New Zealand.

     

    Blah Blah Blah… yep heard it before?

    I know there are tons of crafters and even companies touting these claims but few truly live up to it without putting some rubbish lab produced additive in their products, or can manufacture this way with scale. And many haven’t the training behind them from both the science and plant fields.

     

    They might start out with the best intentions, but compromise their ethics by introducing lab chemicals, child and slave labour mined micas and pigments to give you pretty colours, or other nasty products to reduce the costs and increase profit. AND they aren't supplying the product with no plastic packaging or setting up refill stations!

     

     

    So what's the nature of our Beast?

     

    We are called Kahuku Natural. Kahuku is the Maori name for Monarch Butterfly.  Since I was a small girl I have raised Monarch Butterflies and released them every summer. Some summers I have released several hundred butterflies in a season. Kahuku population numbers are quickly reducing due to introduced wasps, and other environmental factors and they are so very important to our sustainability and healthy ecology.

     

    The I in this story is me, Vicki Bailey. I tipped over 50 earlier this year, and have a wealth of corporate head of company managerial experience for some very large companies, a solid legal background, but more interestingly a passion for natural products, with 5 years tertiary study and qualifications in natural therapies, including all about oils and essential oils. The “we” is my devoted and ever patient husband and life partner of 30 years, who works alongside me in our other company and supports me in everything I do, not always without complaint, but support nonetheless! Family also support us, in important product testing roles, research and product development.

     

     

    I am a science based person, and so both my training and my philosophies have to be based on fact. But whilst I am science based, I don’t like where science has taken us, and have a strong belief that some of the old fashioned ways, recipes and ingredients really are best. Plants have so much to offer us. So eventually my real passion has drawn me back, and after searching for products I could buy locally or import for distribution, I found they all contained yucky stuff, or just did not stay true ethically. I can’t abide animal cruelty, unsustainable practices, non ethical supply lines, or paying lip service to “catch phrase” eco-friendly bi-lines. So I got busy. In the first 5 weeks of business I sold more than $2,500 in soap bars, selling 1 day per week - yep, I was onto something. And we have grown rapidly from there. 

     

    We are selling direct online, and we are proudly supply a Wellington CBD Eco Conscious Store and have our own shop in Auckland stocking our hard bar soaps, liquid soaps for personal use, gorgeous dog shampoos and household cleaners.

     

    Our stores utilise our reuse, recycle, refill concept.  We supply our liquids in stunning 10L stainless steel canisters with the only bit of plastic we have anywhere in our product offering (until we can find a suitable substitute) in the way of a pump dispenser.  Customers can bring their own containers and refill.  Yep, we know, others are doing it - no one is doing this in New Zealand with 100% plant based soap. 

     

     

    Our dog shampoos are really amazing! Our precious pup was scratching herself silly every time we bathed her using “natural shampoo”. So I formulated our own, and not only did she stop itching, her coat is gloriously soft, shiny, and we haven’t needed to flea her despite her being a long haired rough coat Border Collie who spends all day running around outside on our lifestyle property.

     

     

    Our product is really really good… yep, we know it just isn’t the Kiwi way to talk yourself up, but sometimes it’s ok to do something great and tell others about it!

     

    Product In our current range is: 

     

    Hard Bar Soaps 

    Shampoo Bars 

    Liquid Hand & Body Wash 

    Liquid Shampoo 

    Hard Bar Soaps for animals with flea and tick inhibitors 

    Liquid Shampoos for animals with flea and tick inhibitors 

    Hair Rinses 

    Dishwashing Liquid Soap 

    Dishwasher Powder Washing Machine Powder 

    Stain Removal Bars 

    Fabric Softeners 

    Deodorants 

    Lip Balm 

    Moisturiser 

    Cleansers 

    Toners 

    General Purpose Household Spray Cleaners 

    Toilet Cleaners 

    Baby Wipes 

    Makeup Removers

     

    Yes! Products can be liquid and be in containers that aren’t plastic! You don’t have to give up liquids in order to give up the bottle.  Not one of our products is in plastic containers!

     

    We have already made international sales through our online shop as well of course national. We have supplied soap for corporate gifts for companies.

     

     

     

    What Gets our Goat (another non vegan term…)

     

    We have met so many people using so called “natural”, “eco-friendly” and “ethical” products. Read the labels and google some of these ingredients. Not so nice after all! Formeldyhyde preservatives, micas and pigments for colours…

     

    What's wrong with Micas and Pigments...??

     

    Micas and pigments are mined destroying the earth, and they use child and slave labour. Sure, there are “ethically produced” micas and pigments, but these aren't certified so and can’t be verified. It’s a pretty murky supply chain - so why even go there when plants can provide beautiful colour??

     

    Lab made Sulfates are used for slipperyness, softening and lathering. And fragrances and parfums - nothing natural there! And completely unnecessary.

     

    If good quality unrefined oils are used, essential oils, and plant colourants, there is absolutely no need for anything else.

     

    Our products absolutely, categorically 100% do not contain anything else, and will not be compromised. We will only ever use non refined oils, essential oils, plant preservatives, and colourants. Products made the old fashioned way! By using high quality oils and products, we do not need to introduce lab chemicals or synthetics to get high lather, creaminess, moisturising, colours, and heavenly aromas. Plants do this in nature, and we take this and infuse it in our products delivering it in a neat little usable package!

     

     

    No Means No! 

     

    NO Animal Products or Testing: We have already been certified by PETA Beauty Without Bunnies)

     

    NO Palm Oil: We have already been certified by Orangutan Alliance)

     

    NO Chemicals 

     

    NO Synthetics

     

    NO Fragrances or Parfums

     

    NO Dyes, Micas, Pigments

     

     

    And Yes means YES!

    Product 100% New Zealand Made, 100% Plastic Free Sustainable Packaging:  We don’t pay lip service to sustainability or our earth friendly status. We don’t buy carbon credits to offset. We recycle everything! We don’t use plastic packaging, even right down to our courier packaging!

     

     

    So Lets Talk about the Elephant in the Room... (yep, still non vegan!)

     

    We want to take this new venture, inject it with steroids (all natural of course!!) and get this product to large scale market, and we need capital to do that. And if we can achieve our goals and grow a bit quicker, we can give more back to these Charities, provide jobs, and offer a really gorgeous and truly eco friendly product. Our promise is to not compromise once we grow, and continue to deliver our stunning products which smell so heavenly, clean and nourish the skin so beautifully, are kind on the environment and nuture Mind, Body & Soul. We know one NZ company in our field has made it on to the big stage with your help, perhaps you can help us to get a second one up there! Our product while similar has some distinct differences and so why not have 2 great NZ companies taking it to the world!

     

    We want to buy equipment, and it ain’t cheap!

     

    Currently we are making 50L batches of liquid soap concentrate using a series of 5L crockpots - yep time consuming, messy, and really difficult to maintain consistency.

     

    We make our bar soap in batches of 20 bars at a time, and so on and so on.

     

    We want to purchase:

    Hard Bar Soap Making Equipment that will enable us to take our production to 300-10,000 bars a day.

     

    Liquid Soap Making Equipment

     

    Powder Slurry Oven

     

    Powder Mixing Equipment

     

     

    Our BHG… (Big Hairy Goal)

    Some of the equipment for the Hard Bar Soaps can cross over and be used for the Liquid Soaps so we can save money there.  

     

    The Hard Bar Soap Equipment costs $20,000

     

    The additional Liquid Soap Equipment costs $5000

     

    The Powder Slurry Oven will be used to take plant powders, mix them into a proprietary blend with liquid in a slurry, and bake, turning back into a powder form.  This means our “soap” or surfactant (to use the proper terminology) doesn’t need to be a detergent or lab based sulphate rubbish, and we can keep the range plant based and organic.  

     

    The Oven costs $5000.

     

    Reward Costs $5000

     

    Powder Mixing Equipment will enable us to mix the powders for the slurry or for dishwashing powders, laundry powders in large scale capacity without breaking our arms!  

     

    This Equipment costs $5000.  

     

    Total goal is $40,000.  

     

    If we raised more than $40,000 then this will be put toward the machining of non plastic dispensers for our cleaner range, and for the refill stations.

     

    So you give us your hard earned $$ - what’s in it for you?

     

    $20 A big thank you published to our Facebook page, and a personal card sent to you for being such a kind human being with a packet of Swan Plant Seeds to help us populate the world with Kahuku!

     

    $30 Same same for $20, PLUS a bar of our gorgeous hard bar soap for your hand basin

     

    $50 Same same for $20, PLUS a 150ml bottle of our Liquid Hand Wash

     

    $75 Both the $30 Reward and the $50 Reward!

     

    $100 $30 Reward + $50 Reward PLUS a 150ml bottle of our Dog Shampoo.  (PS: Dog Soap in both liquid and hard bar is still suitable for human use!  In fact, great for skin problems!!)

     

    $250 $30 Reward + $50 Reward, 150ml bottle of Dog Shampoo, 2 Bars of Dog Soap, 150ml bottle of Dishwashing Liquid, 250 gm Bag of Laundry Powder

     

    $500 $250 Reward + a selection of hard bar soaps (2) from our stunning and unique New Zealand Oil Range utilising gorgeous essential oils from New Zealand native plants, renowned for their healing and skin nourishing properties, a 250ml bottle of Spray Household Cleaner and a 250ml bottle of Liquid Castille Soap with our Dilution Sheet to guide you to making other household soaps and cleaners

     

    $$$$ You set the amount, no Reward necessary - for the donor who is a wild animal and doesn’t want to be restricted by $$ or need a pat on head!  You beautiful beast you!

     

    For overseas donors we will send you a selection of hard bar soaps as it isn’t practical to send the liquids.

     

    All donors also receive a packet of Kahuku Plant Seeds to help our ecology!

     

    Remember, Pledge Me only works if our total goal is achieved!  We need $40,000 and anything less means we will get nothing - please help us.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Before we Go… Releasing the Inner Butterfly

     

     

    The business means for me, is a full metamorphosis and hence the name Kahuku. 

     

    Reaping what we sow…. every sale gets a wee packet of seeds which we hope the recipient will plant and provide food for our little Kahuku caterpillars. Our customers can enjoy and revel in this epic and beautiful transition of life, feel the joy of releasing a beautiful creature to dance through their garden, and do one little thing for our ecology and environment. One small step at a time.  

     

    And one last little thing, because we are grateful for the support of the Orangutan Alliance, and PETA we donate a percentage of our sales - yes sales, not profit - to these organisations, along with NZ Forest & Bird.  Please helps us keep growing our sales so we can spend our next 50 years on this Earth giving back to it!  

     

    Comments

    We created a monster!

    10/07/2019 at 8:52 AM

    Thank you so much to the generous few people who have pledged.  We are truly grateful, even though now at this stage it's an almost impossible target.

    Our increased profile has meant we have had 500% growth in a month!  We have signed on 5 new shops around the country as stockists for our refill program. 

    Our stockists love our circular concept meaning unlike other refill stations, our containers come back to us for refill too!  Our containers don't end up in landfill.  

    So a big thank you, and if you can convince your friends we are worthy, let's give this a nudge! 

    Vicki & Andrew

      Peter Rowney
      01/07/2019 at 9:34pm
      Daniela
      18/06/2019 at 10:14am

      "Keeping fingers crossed:)"

      debby verdonk
      08/06/2019 at 10:31am

      "Go well. Great idea. Filtered water refills next somebody. In America you can bring your big bottles in to be refilled!"

      Kaye Neely
      07/06/2019 at 3:02pm
      Jenny Herbison-Ware
      04/06/2019 at 10:16pm

      "May you reach your goal Vicki and Andrew, great product with results and our precious fragile environment is at the heart of your product. Worth backing all the way. "

      Followers of Help Kahuku Natural stand tall on our Soap Box! Creating Refill Stations for Plant Based Liquid Soaps for your Body, Home & Pets

      This campaign was unsuccessful and finished on 31/07/2019 at 10:00 PM.