Australia is home to one of the oldest food cultures on earth. For thousands of years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have cultivated, harvested, and built deep knowledge around the continent’s native plants and animals. Today, that knowledge is at the heart of a booming industry — and First Nations entrepreneurs are increasingly stepping up to claim their rightful place within it.

A Market on the Move

The bush food industry was worth $81.5 million in the 2019–2020 financial year, according to market research from the University of Sydney, with the potential to double by 2025. Driven by growing consumer interest in unique flavours, health-conscious eating, and authentic Australian produce, native foods have moved well beyond novelty status. Kakadu plum, wattleseed, finger lime, Davidson plum, lemon myrtle and bush tomato are now appearing in fine dining restaurants, supermarket shelves, skincare products, and export markets around the world.

Demand for native Australian ingredients among both chefs and everyday consumers has been soaring, and Australia’s fine food sector has taken note. Events like Fine Food Australia have dedicated entire showcases to First Nations food businesses, reflecting just how seriously the industry is being taken at a national level.

Deep Roots, Ancient Knowledge

What makes First Nations bush food businesses truly unique is not just the product — it’s the story and knowledge behind it.

One cannot talk about a particular bush food species without considering the cultural context — the Traditional Knowledge within which it exists. Every bush food has its own creation story, its own song and dance and cultural knowledge that has been handed down by the ancestors for thousands of years.

This depth of knowledge is a genuine competitive advantage. First Nations growers and harvesters understand their country intimately — the seasons, the soil, the ecosystems — in ways that cannot be replicated by commercial agriculture. As Yuin man Dominic Smith, owner of Pundi Produce and Diramu brands, puts it: “Aboriginal people have nurtured the native food industry for 60,000 years.”

Businesses Leading the Way

Across Australia, a new generation of Aboriginal-owned bush food enterprises is building commercially successful businesses while staying rooted in culture and community.

In the Northern Territory, Aboriginal Community Harvest employs local people to work on their traditional lands, collecting native cuisine bound for Territory and interstate markets. The business works very closely with traditional owners — the experts on their country — and holds harvesting permits through Indigenous organisations such as the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation in West Arnhem Land. Their harvest includes Kakadu plum, renowned for its extraordinarily high natural vitamin C content, and paperbark, used as a wrap and display in restaurants across Australia.

At Fine Food Australia, the NAAKPA (Northern Australia Aboriginal Kakadu Plum Alliance) — an alliance of Indigenous-owned companies including Mayi Harvests and Thamarrurr Plums — has supported its growers to double production yearly, with increasing attention turning to export markets overseas in partnership with Austrade.

Meanwhile, Kakadu Organics, which first featured on Shark Tank Australia in 2016, supplies native spices, relish jams, pickles, and teas to hotels, airports, and department stores, and exports internationally — partnering with First Nations farmers to produce every product.

The Challenge: Closing the Participation Gap

Despite the industry’s growth, significant challenges remain. First Nations businesses as suppliers are grossly under-represented in the supply chain, comprising less than 1% of growers, farm managers and exporters across the native botanicals supply chain, and generating only 1% of the industry’s produce and dollar value. Indigenous people are mostly operating at the harvest end of the supply chain, receiving the lowest possible return for native ingredients, while non-Indigenous businesses gain higher financial rewards through value-adding at the processing, packaging, and retail stages.

At the 2019 Indigenous Native Foods Symposium, it was revealed that while Indigenous Australians represent fewer than two per cent of providers across the bush food supply chain, 98 per cent of Aboriginal landowners aspire to become leaders in the industry.

The gap between aspiration and participation is real — but it is closing, thanks to investment, advocacy, and a growing number of First Nations entrepreneurs building businesses on their own terms.

Investment and Support Driving Growth

Government bodies and Indigenous-led investors are beginning to direct meaningful capital into the sector. Aboriginal Investment NT is an Aboriginal-led investor tasked with granting and investing Aboriginal money to achieve long-term social, economic and cultural impacts, backing businesses that empower local communities. Their support of operations like Aboriginal Community Harvest demonstrates how targeted investment can accelerate First Nations participation at every level of the supply chain.

Experts are calling on industry leaders to create more pathways for Indigenous suppliers, with Lisa Carroll, managing director of Native Extracts, noting that strengthening the growth of the native ingredient supply chain can improve socio-economic outcomes for First Nations growers while amplifying their important stories.

Beyond Business: Culture, Community and Country

For many First Nations business owners, bush food is about far more than commerce. It is a vehicle for cultural preservation, community healing, and self-determination.

Award-winning chef Aunty Dale Chapman, born on Yuwaalaraay and Kooma tribal lands in south-west Queensland, believes that bush food is a birthright — and that First Nations people should know how to use, sustain, and thrive using native foods. Entrepreneurs like her are not just building businesses — they are passing knowledge to the next generation and keeping ancient food traditions alive.

Supporting First Nations women is particularly critical, given their historical role in providing the majority of food requirements in their communities. Supporting them to record and maintain their bush food practices is essential for both protecting and transmitting traditional knowledge across generations.

How You Can Support First Nations Bush Food Businesses

The most powerful thing buyers, procurement teams, and everyday consumers can do is simple: buy from verified Indigenous-owned businesses.

Food lovers can show support for Indigenous Australians by only buying native bush foods and products from Indigenous-owned enterprises. When you purchase from a listed business on the Aboriginal Business Directory, you can be confident you are supporting genuine First Nations ownership — not a non-Indigenous business capitalising on Aboriginal culture and knowledge.

Whether you are a corporate buyer looking to diversify your supply chain, a restaurant wanting to feature authentic native ingredients, or a consumer wanting to connect with Australia’s oldest food culture — there has never been a better time to engage with First Nations bush food businesses.

Browse bush food and native product businesses on the Aboriginal Business Directory and connect with First Nations producers across Australia.

Disclaimer:  Market figures are sourced from University of Sydney research conducted for the 2019–2020 financial year.