Bush tucker becoming big business

Shannon Motlop’s Aboriginal Community Harvest employs local people to work on their traditional lands, collecting native cuisine bound for Territory and interstate markets.

“We work very closely with traditional owners,” he said.

“They’re the experts on their country and are key to the business's ongoing success. We have harvesting permits and work with Indigenous organisations, such as the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation in West Arnhem Land.”

The harvest includes Kakadu plum, which is renowned for its high amount of natural vitamin C, and paperbark. Paperbark is used as a display for fresh salads, roasts, and fish dishes, and as a wrap when baking seafood, poultry, and red meats.

Aboriginal Community Harvest also wild harvests magpie geese and green ants.

“Magpie geese are starting to make a name for themselves as a genuine alternative to mainstream meats. The meat is lean, high in protein and a very versatile food product. More and more chefs are considering how to incorporate it into their menus,” said Mr Motlop.

Mr Motlop works with two other Indigenous-owned companies, Seven Seasons Spirits, makers of green ant gin, and Something Wild, which has supplied produce to some of Australia’s top restaurants, including Melbourne’s Vue de Monde and Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck.

“The demand for bush foods is certainly growing; native foods just have such amazing flavours, and that’s really catching on,” said Mr Motlop.

The bush food industry, according to the latest available market research from the University of Sydney, was worth $81.5 million in the 2019-2020 financial year, with the potential to double by 2025.

Mr Motlop is focused on shoring up more local and interstate contracts while exploring international markets on an upcoming visit to Singapore.

Thanks to a recent capital injection from Aboriginal Investment NT, Mr Motlop is well-positioned to grow his business.

Aboriginal Investment NT, a corporate Commonwealth entity, is an Aboriginal-led investor tasked with granting and investing Aboriginal money to achieve long-term social, economic and cultural impacts and help close the gap. 

“Aboriginal Investment NT has been very helpful in supporting me in developing the business. The sky is the limit for Aboriginal Community Harvest.”

The Corporation contributes most directly to Closing the Gap Outcome 8 – Strong economic participation and development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. It uses an approach aligned with both Priority Reform One - Developing and strengthening structures to ensure the full involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in shared decision-making and embedding their ownership, responsibility, and expertise to close the gap.