Sharon Winsor has always known the power of native ingredients. It’s something she learned growing up between Gunnedah and Coonabarabran as a child.

 "We used to spend all of our time out collecting bush fruits and medicines and walking Country," she tells Women’s Agenda.

"Those were the happiest memories of my childhood, and that's where my love and passion for bush foods started."

It’s a passion she’s harnessed over decades to create one of Australia’s leading First Nations native food businesses, Indigearth.

A proud Weilwan woman, Winsor is an award-winning First Nations chef. Recently, she was named a finalist for NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year.

Her company, Indigiearth, brings 60,000 years of culture to homes across Australia. Its range of native food and botanical products are available in over 500 locations and featured in restaurants around the world. 

She also leads Warakirri, a four-hour dining experience that immerses guests in Aboriginal culture through a unique mix of food, storytelling and rituals. 

The calling of the bush

After moving from her home in the bush to Sydney as a young adult, Winsor initially studied nursing but found it wasn’t the right fit for her career. She soon began working as an Aboriginal outreach worker for Wesley Mission in Darlinghurst, supporting the homeless community. 

But the bush called to her constantly.

“I was so excited and passionate about wanting to teach people about Country and culture and everything to do with bush foods, I started a business,” Winsor says. 

But her first year into business was marked by a personal tragedy. She lost her first baby when he was stillborn at full term. His name was Ngukirri, which means "to give" in her language. 

"I hit rock bottom mentally and emotionally and couldn't function for a while," she says. 

“When I did pick up business again doing bush foods and catering, I realised that it was the beginning of a very long healing process, and it was my connection to culture through food that was the beginning of my healing process."

Winsor has experienced her fair share of hardship, later surviving domestic violence and multiple business hurdles.

“I realised that I could no longer stay in Sydney, and that the happiest memories of my life and my childhood was being out on Country,” she says.

“It was that little fire in my belly that reminded me of my childhood out bush, and I knew that I had to leave and I had to get back to Country.”

Winsor moved to Mudgee, got her two kids settled into school and rebranded her business.

“My passion in the native food space will forever exist, and it's not just about being able to share that, but really help educate people. It's not just an ingredient on a plate. Native food is a connection to stories, to song lines, to trading, to who we are, to medicine.”

Winsor has also used her position in the industry to advocate for better support for First Nations women. 

“I'm very passionate about not just my business with native foods, but Aboriginal women in the space,” she explains.

“And native food is women's business, and so supporting lots of other women in the industry is really important to me.”

“I was so excited and passionate about wanting to teach people about Country and culture and everything to do with bush foods, I started a business." – Sharon Winsor, Founder of Indigiearth

Creating space for First Nations women in the industry

Last September, Winsor spearheaded Australia’s first-ever Native Food Festival at Carriageworks in Sydney. 

She secured sponsors and hand-selected 22 Aboriginal-owned food and botanical businesses to participate, especially elevating women from remote and regional areas.

According to Winsor, over 4,000 people registered for the free event, with over double that number turning up over two days.

"I had women from Broome, from [the] Northern Territory. I had a business from Cape York attend," she says. 

Celebrity chefs including Kylie Kwong, Ben Shewry, and Karima Hazim participated too.

“It generated $224,000 in sales and revenue that went directly to Aboriginal businesses,” Winsor says.

"I just wanted to create, use my platform to be able to give back and share that," she explains. 

"It's about the rise of all Aboriginal people, and yes, also make a bit of a stand in the industry to go, 'Hey, we're still here. And this is where you can find and support Aboriginal people in the industry.'"

The community response to the festival was amazing, Winsor says, with Australians from all walks of life taking a genuine interest in supporting First Nations business owners.

"Five years ago, the festival would have never worked," she reflects, 

“[But] people turned up with intent to not only spend money – because they spent money – they intended to engage. They wanted to know more, and people wanted to really know how to support in genuine ways.”

How we can all get behind First Nations women

Winsor says supporting First Nations women should be a priority for the native food industry and calls on leaders and businesses to create safe spaces for collaboration. 

"Our women don't usually have massive marketing budgets, or the resources to really put ourselves out there," she says. 

“It often feels like there’s a lack of spaces we can go into.”

Winsor’s message to the broader business community is to take the time to find businesses run by First Nations women and reach out. 

It’s also time to move beyond simply tying engagement to NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Week. "We need people to just do business with us. Don't tie it to anything or feel like it has to be part of those weeks,” she says. 

“We need it to be a natural business relationship.”

This article was written in partnership with and originally published by Women's Agenda.