News from the Northern Australia Aboriginal Kakadu Plum Alliance

NAAKPA is working with Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) on establishing a national Kakadu plum iso-elemental fingerprint database. As demand for Kakadu Plum increases there is a growing need to identify systems of traceability and provenance to protect both the industry and natural resources. ANSTO’s analytical technology is able to scan Kakadu Plum fruit to create unique iso-elemental fingerprints or signatures of fruit.

Traditional Owners visit Berrimah Science Precinct

Traditional Owners from Wadeye and Maningrida visited the Berrimah Farm Science Precinct to see stingless native bee hives research horticulturalists are using for rambutan pollination. This is in preparation for the pollination research project NAAKPA enterprises are undertaking using stingless bees as one component to be considered.

Native bees and Gubinge

NAAKPA coordinated a native bee workshop in Broome in early October, attended by four Western Australian enterprises, Lombadina, Mamabulanjin AC, Mayi Harvest and Mercedes Cove, to learn about native bees, how to identify them in the bush and how to care for them.

Gubinge harvest season approaching

The Gubinge harvest season is approaching with many Gubinge trees in Western Australia already flowering in what promises to be a productive harvest season for the begining of 2021.

Traditional owners come together to consolidate Kakadu Plum supply chains in the NT

Traditional Owners from Wadeye and Maningrida met in early October to discuss how they could consolidate and build an Indigenous led supply chain for Kakadu plums out of the Northern Territory.

Disclosure requirements for traditional knowledge and genetic resources

NAAKPA participated in an IP Australia Expert Reference Group to discuss whether disclosure requirements for genetic resources and traditional knowledge should be considered for Patent and Plant Breeder’s Rights (PBR) applications.

2020 WA harvest

Early data coming back from NAAKPA enterprises in Western Australia report a total harvest of just under 7 tonnes. This was similar to the harvest volume in previous years (7 tonnes in 2019) coming from NAAKPA WA enterprises.

Samples collected for isotopic fingerprints

Gubinge trees were tagged and samples of fruit and leaves collected during the harvest season from Mamabulanjin Aboriginal Corporation orchards as well as from Mercedes Cove and sent to Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation ANSTO to develop a unique isotopic fingerprint database.

2020 Northern Territory Harvest

The harvest in the Northern Territory started in mid-April and is expected to continue until the end of next month. Changes due to covid-19 have impacted how the harvest is coordinated, particularly in maintaining social/physical distancing. Harvest inductions were delivered differently, and changes made to the coordination of collection and sorting points.

2019 Kakadu Plum powder wholesale

Mamabulanjin Aboriginal Corporation (Western Australia) and Thamarrurr Development (Northern Territory) have freezedried Kakadu plum powder available for wholesale.

National Indigenous Bushfoods Symposium

The first National Indigenous Bushfoods Symposium was held in Sydney in late November, with more than a 120 participants from around Australia. The Symposium was organised by First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation in collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and supported by the ILSC.

NAAKPA visits ANSTO laboratories

In late November, Pat Torres from Mayi Harvest representing the NAAKPA Steering Committee visited the laboratories of Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) at Lucas Heights. The visit was to present NAAKPA’s story to ANSTO’s research teams as well as for ANTSO to provide an overview of their isotopic fingerprinting technology.

Indigenous Provenance and Traceability Technology Platform

NAAKPA enterprises will be undertaking a pilot provenance and traceability project during the next harvest season in 2020. The project is a four way collaboration between NAAKPA, IP Australia, ANSTO and the ILSC utilising state of the art technology in provenance detection and traceability systems.

Kakadu Plum yoghurt hits supermarkets in Tokyo

This November, Kakadu Plum yoghurt from fruit harvested by women at Wadeye went on sale in two boutique supermarkets in Tokyo, Japan. The Kakadu Plum yoghurt was developed last November (2018) using Thamarrurr Plums (Palngun Wurnangat Aboriginal Corporation, and Thamarrurr Development Corporation), in an initiative by Something Wild Australia with the support of ILSC and in collaboration with Fleurieu Milk.

NAAKPA Tokyo mission

In November, the ILSC supported a NAAKPA delegation to visit Tokyo to meet with the Japan Superfood Association as well as functional food manufacturers, and to assist with the launch of the Kakadu Plum yoghurt at a Taste South Australia event. Daniel Motlop from Something Wild Australia and Rein Wenitong from Palngun Wurnangat Aboriginal Corporation with Paul Saeki from ISLC made up the delegation for the weeklong visit.

NAAKPA goes to Global Table

In early September, Pat Torres from Mayi Harvest and Leila Nimbadja, Clem Bresson from Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation (Maningrida Wildfoods) represented NAAKPA at the Global Table Conference in Melbourne. The conference brought together food producers, processors, manufacturers and retailers to discuss broader issues related to the food sector.

NAAKPA visit to the National Measurement Institute Laboratories

In early September, Leila Nimbadja, Clem Bresson and the Kakadu Plum Business Development Manager (Paul Saeki) visited the food laboratories of the National Measurement Institute (NMI).

Bawinanga Spice Mix launch

Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation through Maningrida Wild Foods launched their spice mix in September at Charcoal Lane restaurant in Fitzroy Melbourne. The spice is made in Maningrida using Kakadu plum (billy goat plum or man-marlak- the traditional name for the plum) which is harvested and made into powder locally

Women’s weaving workshops Broome

In conjunction with the NAAKPA Steering Committee meeting in Broome in mid September, Leila Nimbadja and Junita and Bridgette from Wadeye participated in a pandanis weaving workshop in Broome coordinated by Pat Torres.

PWAC and TDC visit Fleurieu Milk to talk Kakadu Plum yoghurt

Margaret, Stephanie and Elizabeth from Palngun Wurnangat Aboriginal Corporation (PWAC), three key women in coordinating the Kakadu Plum harvest in Wadeye, and Scott from Thamarrurr Development Corporation (TDC), also based in Wadeye flew to Adelaide to meet with Fleurieu Milk

NAAKPA turns 1

On August 18, 2018, the Northern Australia Aboriginal Kakadu Plum Alliance was formed at a meeting in Broome of eight Aboriginal Corporations harvesting Kakadu Plum. The impetus for the collaboration was the need to consolidate the Kakadu plum supply chain as an industry, which has until recently suffered from supply and demand issues at the producer level.

Maningrida Wildfoods Spice Mix launch in Melbourne

Maningrida Wild Foods and Outback Chef will launch their Mardanggich spice mix in Melbourne at charcoal Lane restaurant next week. The spice mix contains Kakadu Plum power and is fully made in Maningrida with locally harvested Mardanggich, meaning Kakadu Plum in the burarra language.

APAC Food Safety Conference

Pat Torres from Mayi Harvests representing NAAKPA attended the 26th Asia Pacific Food Safety Conference in Sydney on August 21,22 2019. There were nearly 200 delegates from the Food Safety sector in attendance representing food processors, manufacturers and retailers.

APAC Food Safety Conference

APAC Food Safety Conference- Food Manufacturing Tour

Pat Torres (Mayi Harvest & NAAKPA representative) and Paul Saeki (KPBDM ) participated in the Food Manufacturing Tour arranged by the APAC Food Safety Conference on Tuesday, August 20,2019. The tour started with a site visit to Lion Diary and Drinks Smithfield Plant where Lion produces a range of refreshing non-alcoholic beverages from ambient juice options, water and icy summer treats. This includes fresh juices, crushing approximately 75,000 tonnes of fruit from orchards around the country, distributing packaged products across Australia.

2019 Harvest Kakadu Plum Powder available

2019 Harvest, Kakadu Plum Powder available
Orders for Kakadu Plum powder from the 2019 harvest are available from these following NAAKPA enterprises;
• Thamarrurr Plums- Thamarrur Developmetn Corporation & Palngun Wurnangat Aboriginal Corporation;
• Mamabulanjin Aboriginal Corporation
• Mayi Harvest
• Kimberley Wild Gubinge

NAAKPA harvest update

In the past, the volume of Kakadu Plum harvested across northern Australia has not been clearly recorded, with estimations coming in at between 20 to 25 tonnes harvested per annum. Even though some NAAKPA enterprises are still harvesting, NAAKPA enterprises have harvested more than 20 tonnes in this 2019 season, with a farm gate value of more than $600,000 (AUD).

A boost for Gubinge- The Kimberley's superfood

Mamabulanjin Aboriginal Corporation was awarded $100,000 to establish a two hectare commercial orchard and trial research site for Kakadu Plum (Gubinge) just outside of Broome.

NT harvest

Kakadu Plums in the Northern Territory are ready for harvesting. Following on from the Western Australian harvest visit, a NAAKPA team touched down first in Maningrida to speak with the Maningrida Wildfoods team about billygoat plum (Kakadu Plum) and then to Wadeye (Port Keats) to talk to Thamarrurr Development Corporation and Palngun Wurnangat Aboriginal Corporation about their Mi Mirrarl (Kakadu Plum) harvest.

Women come together to talk plum

This month women from Wadeye, Broome and Maningrida came to Jabiru to meet with senior Mirarr women from Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation talk about Kakadu Plum.

Thamarrurr Mi Mirrarl harvest

Over 250 women in the Thamarrurr Region have been involved in this year’s plum harvest. The harvest season and collection point at Wadeye has been coordinated by Thamarrurr Development Corporation and Palngun Wurnangat Aboriginal Corporation

Maningrida Wildfoods

Leila Nimbadja took the NAAKPA project team to her country where Bawinanga harvest billygoat plum (Kakadu Plum). Billygoat plum is just one of many of the bushfoods Maningrida Wildfoods harvest, supplying restaurants and other food wholesalers.

NAAKPA Steering Committee Workshop Darwin 2019

The NAAKPA Steering Committee came together in Darwin on March 21 and 22 for their first face to face meeting since the establishment of the Alliance in August 2018. It was an opportunity to review how the Alliance has performed in its first six months, and consider the value it has delivered to Aboriginal enterprises who make up its members.

Perth restaurant promotion

Six premiere Perth chefs and restaurants have been approached to experiment with gubinge from the recent Western Australian harvest.

The NT harvest begins

This week Thamarrur Development Corporation and Palngun Wurnangat Aboriginal Corporation started their harvest of Kakadu plums in the Thamarrurr region.

Nagoya Protocol and Access and Benefit Sharing in Australia

Associate Professor Daniel Robinson and Dr Margaret Raven from the University of New South Wales presented and facilitated a workshop for the NAAKPA Steering Committee in Darwin. This involved explaining research and development on plants and animals, patents involving Kakadu Plums, the Nagoya Protocol and Prior Informed Consent.

WA Harvest 2019

NAAKPA team visit WA enterprises harvesting gubinge in 2019

Mercedes Cove 2019 Harvest

Mercedes Cove Aboriginal Corporation harvests gubinge using unique netting technology

Lombadina Harvest 2019

Lombadina Aboriginal Corporation collecting gubinge harvest on the top of the Dampier Peninsula

Mamabulanjin Harvest 2019

Mamabulanjin buying wild harvest gubinge in Broome and has estabished gubinge plantation

Mayi harvest 2019 harvest

Milari Aboriginal Corporation trading as Mayi Harvests harvests and processes gubinge

NAAKPA in the media

Mainstream news stories about NAAKPA and NAAKPA members

Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation

Bawinanga is progressive Aboriginal corporation based in Maningrida. We Represent the Aboriginal people of the Homelands and 32 Outstations surrounding Maningrida in West Arnhem Land.

Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation

Mirarr set up Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation (GAC) in 1995 to help manage a balance between sustainable development, traditional practice and living culture on Mirarr land.

Lombadina Aboriginal Corporation

Over the past 5 years in partnership with traditional owners and other communities, Lombadina has picked and sold wild harvested Kakadu Plum and has started growing Kakadu Plum for orchards at Lombadina and at other communities on the Dampier Peninsula.

Mamabulanjin Aboriginal Corporation

Mamabulanjin was established in 1985 for the outstation movement to traditional homelands. We provide community based services and operate a gardening business, native tree nursery and two Kakadu plum orchards.

Mayi harvests

The Mayi Harvests native food business specializes in West Kimberley Wild Foods which are wild harvested on our traditional family lands in Ngumbarl and Jabirr-Jabirr country.

Mercedes Cove Aboriginal Corporation

Mercedes Cove Aboriginal Corporation is 100% Aboriginal owned and operated by Family Members. We are 160kms of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula/Ardi Country.

Thamarrurr Plums

The Thamarrurr Region is located in the western ‘Top End’ of the Northern Territory, in the Tropical Savannas Region. It incorporates approximately 18,000 sq km of relatively intact landscapes.

Find out more about our Kakadu Plums

You can contact each of our enterprises individually through the links on this site or contact the NAAKPA Secretariat directly by either completing the form below or calling on the number provided.

0439 180 184