Unique art, delicious wine, native foods and cultural storytelling: The 8 First Nations businesses in SA to check out in 2024
First Nations businesses offer a unique range of products and services. Here is a list of businesses you should check out in 2024.
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When First Nations entrepreneurs decide they want to start their own business, the idea of what they create is usually influenced by their culture and way of life.
Most of the time, they take the knowledge they have been given from their parents, their grandparents and their community and apply it to the products and services they sell.
What they create is more than just a product, it is also a way for them to share a bit of their culture with you, which has been a way First Nations people have lived for thousands of years.
In 2024, these eight First Nations businesses bring all the above to the table and more. Check them out.
Jade Torres Akamarre
Business name: Pwerle Gallery
Location: Hackney and Online
Alyawarre and Anmatyerre woman, Jade Torres, first established Pwerle Gallery in 2015, drawing inspiration from her father, Fred Torres’ company DACOU.
Their shared mission was to unveil the unique artwork from their community, Atnwengerrp, to the world.
Through art and visual storytelling, Pwerle Gallery became a platform for showcasing profound stories rooted in the Atnwengerrp landscape of her home community.
Transitioning into full-time artistry, Ms Torres adopted the skin name, Akamarre and she absorbed the essence of storytelling through art.
“I grew up surrounded by my family’s art. With four generations of painters, it was second nature for me as a young girl.” she said.
Reflecting on her artistic upbringing, she shared, “from the very beginning, we’ve been sharing our families dreamtime stories, it’s been a big part of my culture which is the foundation of growing and building my business.”
The artwork from Pwerle Gallery reflects Ms Torres’s ancestral connection to the land.
Establishing the gallery wasn’t just a business move, it was a commitment to her community.
“Taking on such a big role is not only opening up a gallery but also taking on the responsibility of looking after the community that still live remotely off the land,” she said.
In nine transformative years, Ms Torres globally expanded her brand, collaborating with entities like Porsche Australia and the Sydney Opera House.
She has sold artwork from her community all over the world from the US to Europe and in 2024, Pwerle Gallery will open its doors to the public for the first time with a new physical location on North Terrace in Hackney—an exciting chapter in Pwerle Gallery’s journey as an artist and cultural steward.
Pauly Vandenbergh
Business: Munda Wines
Location: Online and various alcohol outlets in South Australia
When Pauly Vandenbergh decided to test the waters and try his hand at winemaking, he wanted it to make sure his language and culture would become an integral part of the business.
In 2022, the Kokatha and Wirangu man partnered with Chalk Hill and Cirillo Estate Wines, to launch his own label, Munda Wines.
In his language, munda means ‘land’, which Vandenbergh thought was a more than appropriate name for his business.
“In the wine industry, everything comes back to ‘terroir’, the French term for land, so I thought of my language and my country and that’s ‘munda’,” he said.
Vandenbergh’s business ventures began six years ago when he started his own tuna company on the west coast of South Australia, called Wanna Mar, which means ‘seafood’ in his language.
“I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to partner with an Indigenous wine company to compliment the tuna and have a good night around native foods and drinks but I discovered pretty quickly that there wasn’t an Indigenous wine company,” he said.
“It was all about getting into an industry that has never had Indigenous participation in terms of business.
“We wanted to see if an Indigenous brand could give that industry a market edge.”
Mariah Torres Akamarre
Business: Mariah Akamarre
Location: Online and at George St Gym in Hindmarsh
You might recognise the same last name as number one on our list, as Mariah Torres Akamarre is the younger sister of Jade who owns and runs Pwerle Gallery.
The difference is, Mariah started her business in mid 2022, combining two of the things she loves the most. Her culture, and health and fitness.
“I’ve got a background in exercise, science and promotion and obviously I grew up with the arts since I was born,” she said.
“So, I wanted to merge the two-worlds and the best way I could do that was through creating and selling my own products with what I know best,” she said.
Using her full name as the brand for her business, Mariah Akamarre, the products Mariah sells online range from culturally designed yoga mats, sports duffle bags, boxing gloves and other sporting equipment.
What is also unique about the products is that she uses the designs to spark conversations about First Nations culture and history in Australia.
“I wanted to make a product that was more than what it is, so underneath the yoga mats, I’ve got the word ‘remember’ embedded and each mat comes with a card as well to kind of reflect on Australia’s history and open up conversations,” she said.
In 2024, she will start creating more products to sell from sweat towels, laptop bags and other office equipment.
Anthony Wilson
Business name: Nood Australia
Location: Online
When former SANFL gun, Anthony Wilson decided the football oval wasn’t the only place he wanted to kick goals in life, he went into business with a mate.
Mr Wilson, who comes from the Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri peoples, first started Nood Australia in 2018 and wanted to make his product as natural as possible.
“We wanted to make a product that’s really, really natural and sort of taking that concept of bush medicine that we always grew up on,” he said.
“And trying to influence the way soap and hand sanitiser is made, so you’re really looking after all those things such as your skin, your health and not putting all these nasty extra products in the soap.
“Our aim is to make our products as natural as possible, so we really want people to understand more about the beautiful flora and fauna we have here in Australia in our own backyard.”
His products range from cleaning chemicals, bathroom products, personal and home care products that are made using environmentally sustainable formulas that feature native Australian botanicals.
Currently Nood Australia is partnered with one of Australia’s major hotel chains where their products are installed throughout.
“We’ve done a hotel amenities range for hotels utilising refillable packaging and removing single use plastics from hotels,” he said.
“We’re in about 30 hotels nationally at the moment.”
The ingredients Nood Australia uses in their products range from Kakadu plums, quandongs, lemon myrtle, tea-tree, lilly pilly and bush apples to name a few.
Renee Andrew
Business name: Arraru Yakka Aboriginal Cultural Capability Training
Location: Online and can travel to you anywhere in South Australia
It’s not so much the physical product that you take home from a session with Adnyamathanha and Kuyani woman Renee Andrew, but more so, a better understanding of Australian history from a First Nations lens.
In 2024 Australia, Ms Andrew believes the more that non-Indigenous people understand Indigenous culture, the better off the country will be as a whole.
Hers is a necessary business in modern Australia, as she brings a more holistic understanding to a workplace for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
“I know there is a lot of cultural awareness out there. People are given awareness about history but then they leave the training room and then what,” she said.
“I want people to be able to have that reflection tool, like, what are you going to do with that information now, how do you best engage with Aboriginal people? You know, that sort of thing.
“So, I teach the deeper understanding of Aboriginal history and the past injustices that continue to impact our people today.”
Ms Andrew first started Arraru Yakka Aboriginal Cultural Capability Training with the blessing of her elders in 2022, and has been in high demand by government agencies, corporate entities, sporting clubs and medium to big businesses of all types across South Australia.
Her logo and saying for her business is, “never underestimate the power of a planted seed.”
Dominic Smith
Business name: Pundi Produce
Location: Monash, Riverland and Online
First Nations culture through food, tea and a range of skin care products, grown using sustainable practices, Yuin Man Dominic Smith is taking the teachings of elders far and wide and applying it to what he creates.
In 2014, Mr Smith purchased a farm on the outskirts of Monash in the Riverland and started to literally grow his business.
He has since developed a way to organically grow Australian native fruit, vegetables and herbs in a sustainable manner.
“So the bitters I make are through a manufacturer because obviously they’ve got the distilling expertise, and it allows me to keep on the ground,” he said.
“Here it’s about creating ecosystems because it’s about looking after the land and it’s about looking after nature, and to me, in turn, looks after your spirit and your soul.
“I think it’s a less destructive way of looking at things and if we can get mob (Indigenous people) back on the land and doing that then it creates something they can do later in life.”
Mr Smith sells a range of products from native teas sourced from different local plants in the Riverland, to Pundi bitters and natural skin care products for customers to enjoy.
Currently, people can purchase products from Pundi Produce through their website and at the farmgate.
In 2024, Mr Smith is expanding and has just partnered with Voyages Ayers Rock Resort which has taken a substantial amount of his stock to sell in the heart of Australia.
Rebecca Wessels
Business name: Ochre Dawn Creative Industries
Location: Mile End
Eighteen years ago, former IT whizz and youth worker, Rebecca Wessels turned her side hustle into her main gig, and started Ochre Dawn, a First Nations branding and marketing company.
The business could be called a one-stop-shop for other businesses looking to have an Indigenous visual forefront at the heart of what they’re doing.
Rebecca, who is a Peramangk and Ngarrindjeri woman, developed the business to offer a range of services from graphic design, consultation and training and delivering Reconciliation Action Plans for other businesses.
“Whether they’re government departments, charities, big businesses, defence industry you name, if they want to create a more culturally respectful and welcoming environment, which is fantastic, we help them with that,” she said.
“What was most exciting is that I started to work with organisations in utilising, or commissioning First Nations artists,” she said.
Not only does Ochre Dawn create art, culture within its own workplace, but the business also celebrates it and spreads it through other businesses.
The First Nations designed products Ochre Dawn offers range from promotional and corporate gifts, office fit outs and furniture, work apparel and personal protective equipment.
The business also works nationally, commissioning various artists from interstate.
Depending on which region a client is from, Ochre Dawn approach local artists there to design something unique.
Vicki Thomas and Maddison Ingram
Business name: Block Ya Dot
Location: Online
Caterer and Noongar woman, Vicki Thomas decided to start her own food catering business five years ago after she found herself looking for something to do once the kids were dropped off at school.
“I used to do it when the kids were at school and I catered for different (government) departments and nothing major, but over the years and when my kids grew up, I decided to do it full time and that’s when I started the business,” she said.
Her love for food has always been there, but once she realised she could turn it into a business, she brought her daughter, Maddison Ingram along for the ride.
Now, her business, called Block Ya Dot, is in high demand, keeping Vicki and Maddison quite busy, as they she usually caters for, on average three events a day, depending on the size of the gathering.
Block Ya Dot boasts an extensive menu filled with native Australian bush tucker, from kangaroo sliders, lemon myrtle and wattle seed cupcakes, cheese platters and also catering for people with dietary requirements.
Making all of the food out of their home and with the amount of business they have started accumulating, Vicki and Maddison are now shopping for a new place of business to call home.
“We’ve been slowly growing and growing and the last two years have been growing and we really have spread out now,” she said.
“We’ve picked up so much and it’s got to the point now that we’re looking for a cafe to run and to run our catering business out the back of the cafe.”
Block Ya Dot can also cater for people with dietary requirements. Basically, Block Ya Dot can cater for it all.
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