Meet the new ‘Conscious Drink’ collaborators Kakadu Kitchen X OzHarvest. Elevated deliciousness. Crafted for purpose. Enjoyed by the whole family. Sharing wellness and health for people and planet.
Kakadu Kitchen, in collaboration with OzHarvest Ventures, the social enterprise arm of Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, OzHarvest, have teamed up to create a delicious, lightly sparkling wine-alternative drink. The new ‘Conscious Drink’ is made from Australian rescued and native ingredients and helps empower First Nations communities with every purchase.
This is a new and exciting zero-alcohol wine alternative, crafted from rescued blueberries and wild-harvested native botanicals, ethically sourced from First Nations-owned companies. It goes beyond a taste sensation, appealing to customers looking to choose a more sustainable product where greater positive impact is driven by consumers.
The team behind this new collaboration share a vision of a world kinder to our planet, less wasteful and empowering for indigenous communities, with a combined commitment to creating products of high quality and taste.
Bininj man, Ben Tyler, grew up learning about bush foods from his Murumburr family and kin-relations in Kakadu National Park and West Arnhem Land. He is the Founder of Kakadu Kitchen, a First Nations NT bushfood company specialising in Kakadu native botanicals.
Ben said: “Our mission at Kakadu Kitchen is to respectfully share Bininj-Mungguy culture through food with as many people as possible while promoting First Nation voices in the Australian bush food industry.
“Together with my mate Tim, we really feel this collaboration with OzHarvest Ventures helps bring a brighter, happier and healthier future for people and the planet.”
Chief Drinks Alchemist, Tim Triggs, founder of ALTD Spirits and Ghiddy Wines said:
“The combination of all these wonderful native botanicals is like smelling a lemon rainforest. It’s herbal and sherbert-y all at once and best served simply chilled in a flute or coupe, with friends and family of course.”
Ronni Kahn AO, OzHarvest Founder and CEO said this is the first collaboration for our innovation arm, OzHarvest Ventures. “Together with Kakadu Kitchen we believe a delicious product supporting a great cause can change consumer choices. This ‘Conscious Drink’ has been created to encourage people to think more deeply about how their actions and purchases can create positive impact for people and planet.”
Kakadu Kitchen X OzHarvest ‘Conscious Drink’ comes in a 750ml crown-sealed bottle and combines juicy blueberries with native lemongrass, pepperberry, lemon tea tree and oldman saltbush that is then lightly carbonated. Every bottle sold enables OzHarvest to deliver two meals to people in need with Kakadu Kitchen committing to planting an indigenous native edible plant for every case of six sold in the Northern Territory.
Emerging Bininj artist, Trentin Rasmussen, has designed the label artwork featuring a bird eating a blueberry as a natural symbol for the sustainability message, with blueberries on a background of traditional West Arnhem Land/Kakadu-style inspired ‘rarrk’ (distinctive regional crosshatching Aboriginal art-style) patterns depicting some of the botanicals.
A limited release of Kakadu Kitchen X OzHarvest ‘Conscious Drink’ is available from early December for $30 online at www.harvestbites.com.au and selected venues.
For bulk orders or pre-orders contact: hello@ozharvest.ventures
About the product:
This is a wonderfully refreshing wine-alternative with top notes of native lemongrasses, bold, fresh citrus from lemon tea tree, a briny-ness from saltbush and a lingering spicy finish from the native pepperberries.
Approximately 1.4 million kilos of blueberries go to waste each harvesting season so Kakadu Kitchen and OzHarvest are repurposing them. Excess blueberries used in this drink were grown and picked by farmers in Coffs Harbour, northern NSW as part of Oz Group Co-op.
Native botanicals are 100% locally sourced, seasonal and wild harvested produce from Indigenous-owned businesses like Warndu, Bush To Bowl and Johnny Murison, a Kuku-Yalanji man from Cape York Peninsula through his company Jarramali. These businesses support local communities and aim to put a spotlight on ethical practices in the native bush food industry guided by inspiring people such as First Nation bush food pioneer and advocate, Rayleen Brown, Chair of First Nations Bushfood and Botanical Alliance and Madonna Thomson, Chair of the Bushtukka and Botanicals Indigenous Enterprise Cooperative Limited.
About OzHarvest Ventures:
OzHarvest Ventures is the newly established social enterprise and profit-for-purpose arm of OzHarvest, launching business ideas that help people and planet. OzHarvest was founded in 2004 by Ronni Kahn AO and has since become a leading national food rescue organisation on a mission to ‘Nourish our Country’ by stopping good food going to waste and delivering it to charities that help feed people in need. www.ozharvest.ventures
About Kakadu Kitchen X ALTD Spirits:
Kakadu Kitchen founder Ben Tyler from NT and ALTD Spirits founder Tim Triggs from NSW said no to ‘kunbang’ (in Kakadu’s First Nation kundjehmi language means poison, which includes alcohol) a few years ago. Soon their sobriety journeys would bring them together through entrepreneurship to create an alternative to alcoholic drinks focusing on health and wellness that infuse authentic Kakadu native botanicals. They first launched An-marabula, a native peach bellini in late 2022. www.kakadukitchen.com.au; www.altdspirits.com
About ‘Conscious Drink’:
For the creators, the intention behind the term ‘Conscious Drink’ was to move consumers away from viewing the drinks category with a limited lens – that is currently focused on alcoholic or unhealthier beverage options. Kakadu Kitchen and OzHarvest envisioned the creation of a category that goes beyond what is currently available, one that focuses on provenance and culture, localisation, seasonality, sustainability and social impact causes.
