Project lead: Noongar Land Enterprise Group
Project overview
It is estimated that less than 2 percent of current Australian native produce is produced by Aboriginal people or businesses.
The aim of this project was to address the underrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian native produce market. Through the establishment of the Avondale Bush Food Innovation Hub, the project aimed to develop the capacity of Noongar Land Enterprises (NLE) to commercially harvest and sell food-grade quality wattle seed, the first Noongar organisation to do so.
This project facilitated ongoing research and development of wattle seed products, a more expansive wattle seed harvest in late 2022/early 2023, and equipped NLE to produce raw and roasted foodgrade quality wattle seed products. This marks a significant step toward cultural sustainability, economic empowerment, and market representation for Aboriginal communities in the native produce industry.
Impacts and Results
This project enabled NLE to research the properties of six species of wattle seed, trial new harvest protocols, clean and produce commercial quantities of raw seed, roast and ground wattle seed for commercialisation to both home consumers and the hospitality/catering industry.
The branding work developed by NLE focuses on the products’ authenticity, First Nations heritage, provenance, and sustainability. Specific branding examples remain confidential until the official product launch in mid-2024.
This project places NLE in a prime position to take the next step towards producing transformative products for niche markets overseas whilst catering to the domestic market in Australia.
This project was funded by the Australian Government’s Agricultural Innovation Hubs Program and was initiated through the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub.
Cover photo: Wattle seed, Jessie Collins
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