In the language of the Gunditjmara people in southwest Victoria, “Pawa” means “cook”.
The culture and history of the Gunditjmara people inspired Niyoka Bundle to start her very own business in 2020 to showcase the flavours and ingredients her ancestors have used for 65,000+ years.
Pawa Catering features an Indigenous fusion menu, created using native ingredients and inspired by classic family favourites. The business also sells Taka Gin Co.m a gin using native fusion ingredients.
To mark Global Entrepreneurs Week, a week dedicated to recognising those who are paving the way for a better future with innovative business ideas, Women’s Agenda is sharing a number of Q&As with women building businesses.
As a leading First Nations entrepreneur in Australia, Bundle shares her story.
Can you give us a brief description of your business?
I run a catering company which focuses on using native foods. We also have a Cafe inside Hamer Hall, along Southbank, which also has a native theme throughout. And then there’s Taka Gin Co, our native fusion gin.
What inspired you to start your business?
I have always been interested in food and cooking for people. I also wanted to offer something unique and putting both together made sense. We take native foods and showcase them in a modern western way, in everyday foods that people like to eat.
What challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them?
Being a small family business, we have had cash flow challenges in busy periods. Payment terms are long for small businesses like us and at a busy time of year , such as now, leading into the party season, we have a lot of outgoing costs to make it happen. Also we are still feeling the effects of covid. it affected the industry hard, and we still haven’t seen a full return to the city to work.
Do you have a vision for the future of your business?
At the moment, we are working on expanding Pawa Caterings offerings by working in partnership with larger companies, which is great for our growth. We would love to work on more event partnerships and have our gin in more spaces. I also hope to increase First Nations places in all areas of my business.
Do you have any advice for aspiring female entrepreneurs?
Have a good team you can rely on or maybe a mentor you can ask for advice. And my number one advice is to have your finances sorted at the start so there are no surprises. Keeping on top of that is hard, but if you have the plans in place early, it’s a lot easier to manage.