The Coles Indigenous Food Fund was established ten years ago to promote native foods and financially support Indigenous enterprise, growing, harvesting and distributing native foods.

Since this time, the Fund has allocated monies to this end and has seen sales grow from tens of thousands of dollars to several million. Coles sells around 30 native food products from two suppliers. One of these suppliers markets the Outback Spirit brand.

Part of the ethos of this brand is its affinity and commitment to the Indigenous native food supply chain. A commitment that has seen demand-driven outcomes for native foods from a number of remote communities, creating employment, income and a culture link between those harvesting and those consuming the products– be they Bush Tomatoes, Davidson Plums, Wattle seed or Kakadu Plums to name but a few.

Coles, the Outback Spirit brand and the Outback Spirit Foundation therefore have similar objectives. We each want to promote and sell native foods to all Australians and make all Australians proud of this cultural heritage.

Like so many foods brought to Australia from offshore, we embrace their authenticity of flavours and the bond between people when sharing food together. Native foods need to be shared and promoted. It’s a form of edible reconciliation.

The Outback Spirit Foundation has been able to show practical leadership in developing a model that sees the Indigenous food chain come to life. Its commercial planting of bush tomatoes at Laramba is a case study in developing supply to meet real demand.

The Foundation’s plans to develop similar cultural/economic developments in different communities with tropical native foods like Kakadu Plum and lemon Aspen, will hopefully see commercial plantings of these foods to meet growing demand for them.

This outcome meets Coles objective of maintaining Indigenous participation in the native food supply chain and is why the Fund has donated money to the Foundation to help further develop this model.

CHRIS MARA, CHAIRMAN

COLES INDIGENOUS FOOD FUND

ROBINS FOODS PTY LTD

Robins is a substantial contributor to the Foundation through its participation in the Coles Indigenous Food Fund and through its managing Director, Juleigh Robins work as a member of the Foundation’s Board of Management.

NAPPERBY STATION

Napperby Station, owned by Roy and Janet Chisholm, is the site on which the Laramba Bush Tomato Plantation is located. Roy and Janet have made the land required for the plantation available at no cost to the Foundation. Roy is a former President of the Northern territory Cattleman’s association and Janet continues to be closely involved in the plantation’s day-to-day management.

COSMETOCHEM INTERNATIONAL AG

Cosmetochem is a Swiss company that supplies raw materials to international cosmetic companies. It utilises native Australian ingredients in a number of its products and contributes a percentage of its sales of those products in recognition of the Foundation’s work.

FIRBANK GRAMMAR – Melbourne Victoria Firbank has generously provided a boarding scholarship for Savannah Kelly as part of the Foundation’s program to assist young Indigenous individuals to achieve life goals..   PROFESSIONAL COACHING Bruce Green, the Head professional at Royal Melbourne Golf Club; and Robert De Nardis, the Principal of the Sandringham Sports Medicine Clinic for donating their time and expertise.   HAMPTON ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB – Melbourne Victoria The Rover’s have generously collected an donated a large numbers of quality used football boots from the junior teams to be sent to Indigenous communities.   AUSTRALIAN LOGISTICAL SOLUTIONS PTY LTD Is donating transport services to delivering books and football boots to remote locations   BOOKS The Australian publisher, Hinkler Books is donating children’s books to supplement Indigenous community libraries.