Ways to Support Indigenous Businesses Throughout the Year

This year’s theme for Indigenous Business Month is “Making Our Mark. Celebrating 10 Years of Indigenous Business Month.”

At Welcome to Country, Indigenous Business Month is an important time of year as its objective of calling upon First Nations business owners and allies to gather, together, to celebrate First Nations businesses, stories and successes is directly in line with Welcome to Country’s purpose and mission.

In line with this year’s theme, we are calling you to ‘Make Your Mark & Shop with First Nations Businesses,’ especially when you consider the impact that every dollar that you spend with a First Nations business has on broader social and economic outcomes.  

Supply Nation, a not-for-profit organisation that provides Australia’s leading database of verified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses has conducted research which shows that every $1 spent on a First Nations business generates $4.41 of economic and social return. This means, that every dollar that you spend works 4 time harder when spent with a First Nations Business.

These statistics are just the beginning when it comes to measuring the impact that supporting First Nations businesses can have on communities. The opportunity to continue preserving, maintaining and sharing culture, the additional pathways offered to First Nations entrepreneurs to share their practices in a culturally safe environment and the personal successes that First Nations people achieve, are just a short list of all the other ways First Nations businesses can benefit from our support.

Here are a couple of ways to support First Nations businesses throughout the year:

Spend your dollars on First Nations businesses, instead of big multi-national corporations 

As consumers, it is convenient to shop with familiar businesses. However, this means money is being continuously poured into large multinational corporations and as a result, small businesses (especially businesses run by small Blak businesses) suffer. To these big multinational corporations, your money is just another dollar in the bank which is an entirely different story when it comes to small Blak businesses.

For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses, access to consumers and marketplaces is incredibly limited as they’re faced with barriers such being in remote and rural communities out on Country. With less exposure and pathways to share their products, practices, cultural knowledge and expertise, the risk of their business failing is very real. This means, every purchase you make has an impact and every purchase creates economic and social return.

There are plenty of alternatives to your big multinational corporations, when it comes to shopping for everything from clothing and jewellery to groceries and homewares.

First Nations fashion and textile businesses have been making fashion sustainably and ethically for tens of thousands of years and their techniques such as using plant-based dyes and paints and creating fabrics from locally grown and sourced textiles are still used to this day. So, instead of shopping at David Jones or The Iconic where sustainable and ethical practices are likely not adhered to, here are some First Nations clothing businesses where slow fashion values are still present:

Clothing the Gaps
Magpie Goose
Bábbarra Designs
Deadly Denim
Bima Wear

First Nations businesses and artists often use traditional techniques and materials to craft their jewellery and accessories meaning they are often handmade, and each item tells a unique story. By shopping with First Nations artists and jewellery makers, you are directly supporting the maintenance of cultural practices and the preservation of traditional art techniques. Here are some First Nations jewellery artists and brands to support:

Sonia Pallett Jewellery
Red Sand Sisters
Forever Young Jewellery
Ange Jeffery Jewellery

First Nations native ingredients can be difficult to source at your local major supermarket outlets which is a shame as the nutritional benefits of native foods such as quandong, finger limes and lemon aspen are far-reaching. By getting behind First Nations owned food businesses, you are not only learning about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have always had a reciprocal relationship with the land, but also supporting the continuous nurturing of Country and climate, which we need to be addressing now more than ever. So instead of dropping by your local Woolies or Coles, here are some First Nations food businesses to support:

Indigiearth
My Dilly Bag
Warndu
Chocolate on Purpose
Maningrida Wild Foods

'Make Your Mark' this October and celebrate Indigenous Business Month by shopping with First Nations business, so that your dollars spent can have a lasting impact on social and economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 

Shop Now