Welcome to Local Territory Flavour! I'm Monica, and today, I’m thrilled to have Ben Tyler from Kakadu Kitchen joining me. Hi Ben, thanks for being here, especially on such short notice. Could you tell us a bit about Kakadu Kitchen?
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Ben: Thanks for having me, Monica. It’s great to be here. Kakadu Kitchen was founded in my community. I’m a proud Bininj man from Kakadu, West Arnhem, and I started this business to stay connected with my community. We focus on bush foods and collaborate with interstate ventures to create conscious drinks and non-alcoholic native cocktails.
Monica: Congratulations on your recent award! Can you tell us more about it?
Ben: Thank you! We’re very excited and honoured to have won the Game Changer category at the Food and Drink Business Innovation Hive Award. The event was held in Sydney on Gadigal Country, and our partners from Oz Harvest Ventures and ALTD Spirits accepted the award on our behalf. Our winning conscious drink is made from rescued blueberries, native lemongrass, and saltbush. It’s in the wine alternative category, but we prefer to call it a conscious drink, moving away from the language of alcohol.
Monica: That’s fascinating! So, conscious drinks could be either alcoholic or non-alcoholic, focusing more on the purpose behind the drink?
Ben: Yes, we aim to create a new category that doesn’t fit into the binary system of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Conscious drinks emphasise sustainability, health, wellness, and First Nations culture. They offer a unique experience without the influence of alcohol.
Monica: Why are you so passionate about this?
Ben: Our culture today is deeply intertwined with alcohol. I’m driven to create spaces where people can connect with bush foods and each other without alcohol. It’s about building a new language and experience around these connections.
Monica: Speaking of drinks, you’ve brought a couple of your products. Are these non-alcoholic or conscious cocktails?
Ben: These are our first non-alcoholic native cocktails. The An-marabula, a native peach from Kakadu, is paired with Australian peaches. It’s sweet but low in sugar, and has a unique, earthy flavour. The Kaboh Green Ant G&T is another ready-to-drink option, offering a tart yet refreshing taste.
Monica: They sound delicious! I’m excited to have these in stock. Thank you so much for sharing your time and story with us, Ben.
Ben: Thank you, Monica. It’s been great talking to you.
Find out more about Ben and Kakadu Kitchen online
Thank you to the NTG and Arts NT Mentoring Grants for supporting us to make this podcast a reality. And, a massive shout out to Brent Watkinson: Entertainment and events consultant, Comedian, MC, Radio & Podcast host, Owner operator of Sounds Familiar NT and Fruit Bat Entertainment Integrated Account Manager at kwpx - for mentoring me.
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