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Yamatji/Noongar woman Sharon Brindley shares the story of how her mob and her connection to Country is at the core of everything that she does in a segment with SBS Small Business Secrets . Sharon founded Cooee Café & Catering, then pivoted her business during COVID to launch Jala Jala chocolates with an Indigenous twist.
The segment is part of a partnership series with SBS where IBA showcases stories with strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses. Sharon's segment was the first in the 2022 series which featured on Sunday 3 April.
"Food is the way to everybody’s heart isn't it," says Sharon. “Cooee means come home, come back, it’s time for lunch or dinner. As a child out in the bush, we'd be off on our own. And we could hear the call from far away, so it really was something close to my heart."
The café was hard hit by COVID but created new opportunities through their online business and expansion into chocolates with an Indigenous flavours like finger lime and lemon myrtle. Sharon also invests in the importance of the wider Indigenous community by selling their wares in her shop.
IBA supported Sharon with business capability and planning resources. She also received a start-up loan/grant combination to help her new ventures with Jala Jala. Find out more about IBA's Start-up Finance Package.
Sharon has sold more than 2.5 tonnes of chocolate so far and is exporting to the Asian region with big plans to grow further. Check out the delicious chocolates from Jala Jala and Indigenous owned and created products on the Cooee Café & Catering website.
Read the article or watch the video below: "Sharon's bush food business shares a taste of native ingredients with the world".
PLEASE NOTE: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the below video contains images of the deceased. The pictures have been used with permission of the family.
