Rodney Stevens
A proud Yaegl man and founder of an innovative new First Nations enterprise, Clarence Bruinsma, is connecting mob with Country and increasing Aboriginal ownership in the bush food industry through his business Bush to Bowl.
Mr Bruinsma, who grew up in Maclean is a qualified PDHPE teacher who now lives in the Sydney suburb of Terry Hills, met his business partner, Gadigal man Adam Byrne when they were both participants in Charles Sturt University’s inaugural Food Futures Indigenous Entrepreneur Scale Up Program.
Both men participated in the Charles Sturt Innovation Hub and the Indigenous Entrepreneur Program earlier this year before they joined forces to launch Bush to Bowl.
Mr Bruinsma said Bush To Bowl is a 100 per-cent First Nations-owned business that aims to increase Aboriginal ownership in the bush food industry and increase community engagement with traditional food and cultures.
He said Bush to Bowl helps connect First Nations people with their traditional and native foods while meeting growing industry demand for bush foods and caring for Country.
“It came from two fellas’ love of Mother Earth and our native plants and wanting to bring more people closer to this space,” Mr Bruinsma said.
“We realise many mob lacked this knowledge and we wanted to help them learn and build our native food sovereignty while creating great career and economic opportunities for mob.”
Mr Bruinsma said First Nations businesses need more support from people, and the business focus for Aboriginals should be on Country, not profit, which will give bush food more meaning and provide a secure industry for generations to come.
He said for every dollar spent at First Nations food businesses, 65 cents go back into the community, making every bite delicious as well as meaningful.
“Selecting mob for their native plants and foods has more than an impact just on that business, but it supports the economic, health and well-being for mob while we get to work on our Country caring for Mother,” he said.
“Through our knowledge of and ways of working with Country, we can help people grow better crops and think ‘Country first’.”
Mr Bruinsma said participating in the Indigenous Entrepreneur Program allowed him and Mr Byrne to build their skills and abilities to run an efficient business while rolling out new products.
He said increasing their skills was very valuable, but the most valuable outcome was the connections and networking opportunities they made while completing the program.
Bush to Bowl’s website features bushtucker and native produce, edible plants, non-edible plants, and merchandise.
Mr Bruinsma said the business also offers workshops for corporate businesses, schools, bushtucker walks, garden workshops and professional learning workshops for teachers and educators.
Additionally, Bush to Bowl also provide landscaping services for residential, schools and commercial sites, focusing on native plants and bushtucker.
For more information on Bush to Bowl visit www.bushtobowl.com or for information on the Indigenous Entrepreneur Scale Up program visit https://www.foodfutures.com.au/indigenous-entrepreneur-scale-up-program