Executive Summary
What the report is about
This report focuses on an operational business and community development model, the centre-piece of which is the not-for-profit Indigenous Australian Foods Ltd (IAF), a procurer of bush foods, and its associated Outback Spirit brand for retail and food services markets. IAF comprises seven Aboriginal owned organisations (embracing a wide range of Aboriginal communities, clan groups, and homelands) generally spanning different geographical and climatic zones. It is envisaged that each organisation will grow, collect, add value and/or procure native foods for sale through IAF and directly to local markets. Currently, bush foods comprise only a small part of the businesses of these member organisations. While committed to developing bush food enterprises, capacity of the member organisations to participate has limitations.

Background
Robins Foods is the only constituted non-Aboriginal IAF member and operates a rapidly expanding bush foods business selling to domestic and international markets. IAF, including Robins Foods, has a strategy of encouraging other businesses to work under the Outback Spirit brand, with the aim of making it the pre-eminent brand for Australian native food products.

Methods and results
This report documents the perspectives of the many partners in the Outback Spirit supply chain and identifies their future directions. A profile of the following partners is presented as separate chapters and has been verified by the informants as an accurate portrayal of their views:

• Roins Foods Pty Ltd as the primary manufacturer
• Indigenous Australian Foods Ltd (IAF) as the cental procuring and endorsement institution
• Coles-Myer Ltd as the major retailer in Australia and manager of the Indigenous Food Fund
• Three of the seven Indigenous members of IAF:
• Australian Aboriginal Food Company near Alice Springs, Northern Territory
• Mamu Aboriginal Corporation in Innisfail, Queensland
• Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Co-operative in Warrnambool, Victoria
• Hela Schwarz Australia Pty Ltd as the Melbourne-based manufacturer of Hela Outback Spirit brand for export to its parent company, Hela International Ltd, in Germany, for distribution throughout Europe, Asia and the USA
• Kikapu Ltd as the London-based agent for Robins Foods and Outback Spirit

Conclusions
The analysis and conclusions drawn from the profiles represent the perspective of the author, and have been reviewed by all partner organisations. This investigation indicates that the Outback Spirit supply chain is a unique business model, well suited to developing working partnerships with Indigenous and non-indigenous people. At present, the business model itself is part reality and part aspiration, but has the institutional structure and partnership foundations needed to become fully operational over time.

The flexibility in the business approach allows partners to participate at a level that matches their capacity and enables their involvement to evolve through experiential learning and in changing circumstances. The model embodies the needs of an emerging industry, where a step-by-step process is necessary and where markets are uncertain and risk-taking and compromise is necessary. While bush foods is not necessarily the main activity of many of the supply chain members, the foray of each organisation into bush foods is often supported by the successes of their other business streams, underpinned by their commitment to the ethical philosophy of the supply chain.

The Outback Spirit partnership model presents some innovative opportunities to supply product into increasingly demand-driven domestic and international markets. However, for the supply chain to succeed in the long-term there are some substantive strategic planning, capacity building and marketing issues that need urgent attention, and some compelling reasons presented for public and philanthropic support.

Lessons and key messages on supply chain development, management and marketing are provided to inform other bush food business enterprises and industry development more generally.
 

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