Bill Granger Trailblazer Award: Sharon Winsor

Indigiearth

Ngemba Weilwan woman, chef and Indigiearth founder Sharon Winsor has fundamentally changed the way Australians think about native foods. Winsor, who grew up on country with cultural knowledge and access to edible and medicinal plants, launched Indigiearth in 1997. It was a time, she says, when the wider community thought of indigenous ingredients as “witchetty grubs and goannas”.

“Nobody knew anything, and I became so excited to share that food with everyone, to try to educate them and break down barriers,” says Winsor.

Today, she sources native ingredients such as saltbush, Davidson’s plum, sea parsley and lemon myrtle to create a range of pantry, home and wellness goods sold nationwide.

In September, she collaborated with Carriageworks and other leading bush food advocates to launch the Australian Native Food Festival, bringing together more than 20 First Nations market stalls to showcase sovereignty through food. “It’s important we’re included in our own industry,” she says.