Indigenous Businesses to Support
NAIDOC week
NAIDOC Week runs from 4-11th of July and celebrates the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. From coffee to skincare, here are eight Indigenous businesses to support this NAIDOC Week.
Kara Meta (Mabu Mabu)
Nornie Bero is a talented and inspirational Komet woman who is head chef and owner of Mabu Mabu. Under the label Kara Meta, she sells a range of handmade teas, spices, and sauces that celebrate Indigenous and tropical flavours. Everything is GF and vegan, such as their wattle seed hot chocolate or strawberry gum spice mix. Order these online or drop into the Yarraville cafe where you can also enjoy some delicious Indigenous-inspired food.
Native Elements
Native Elements are another Indigenous-owned, natural skincare company. Their products are hand-made in Australia in small batches to ensure the freshest and fullest shelf life. The ingredients are sustainably sourced from across Australia and hand bottled in the Clarence Valley. They’ve got native moisturises, cleansers, serums, and clay masks. Everything you could want for glowing skin, that doesn’t cost the earth.
Lillipad Cafe, Sydney
Lillipad Cafe is a cosy Glebe cafe with a mission to create a space where everyone feels welcome. Owners Nyoka and Laszio Hrabinsky have created a flexible menu to match that celebrate First Nation flavours, such as their waffles with riberries and desert island muesli with wattle seed, cinnamon myrtle, and macadamia. All eggs and meats can be substituted with vegan options, such as their eggs benedict. Get around these legends.
Lowana Skincare
Lowana is a natural skincare brand made with the planet in mind. This incredible Indigenous-owned business heroes native Australian plant-based ingredients in their products, and everything is vegan and packaged in recycled bottles. They’ve got moisturisers, face masks, eye creams, you name it! We love them and we know you will too. Shop online via their website or on Nourished Life.
Gulbarn Tea
Gulbarn Tea is a wild-harvested, herbal tea brand, co-founded by Alawa people and hand-picked on Alawa Country in the Northern Territory. It has been used as ancient bush medicine for thousands of years by Alawa people to heal coughs, colds, and stomach aches. Their tea is high in antioxidants, caffeine-free, and possesses a mild flavour of sweet citrus, tea tree, and eucalyptus. Order it online via their website.
My Dilly Bag
My Dilly Bag was started 20 years ago by Aunty Dale Chapman. She’s on a mission to bring awareness to the oldest living culture in the world – the Australian Aboriginal culture and is doing so through sharing delicious Australian native foods. My Dilly Bag stocks a range of bush foods, which are grown and harvested by Aboriginal artisan creators. Vegan offerings include their wattle seed and onion marmalade, Davidson plum jam, saffron, and lemon myrtle tagliatelle, and earth spice dukkah. Shop online via their website.
Willow & Co
Willow Organics is an Indigenous-owned and vegan-friendly skin and hair care brand. They have repackaged old Aboriginal remedies into modern beauty, with a range of charcoal, clay, and ochre products. Favourites include their eucalyptus bath bombs, bush balms, and Kakadu Plum soups. Shop online via their website.
DHUWA Coffee
Dhuwa Coffee is an Indigenous-owned coffee brand that aims to use coffee as a way to share stories, build bonds, and nourish relationships. DHUWA means ‘to feel alive’ in Bidjara language and they have branded their coffee as ‘reconciliation in a cup’. You can purchase their coffee in Woolworths, with 5c per product being donated to Dreaming Futures.