Food has always brought people together. It connects families around the dinner table, neighbors at community gatherings and generations through shared recipes and traditions.
For many Indigenous communities, food also plays an important role in preserving culture, supporting local economies and passing knowledge from one generation to the next.
Many of the foods we enjoy today, including wild rice, maple syrup, corn, beans and honey, have been harvested, grown or prepared by Indigenous people for generations. Today, Native-owned businesses and Tribal enterprises continue those traditions while creating new opportunities for their communities.
When you purchase Indigenous foods, you’re supporting Native farmers, harvesters, food producers and small business owners who continue to share their knowledge and traditions through the products they create.
Keeping traditions alive
Many Indigenous food businesses are built on recipes, harvesting methods and agricultural practices that have been passed down through families and communities.
Wild rice is still hand-harvested by members of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe using techniques that have been practiced for generations. Tepary beans continue to be grown in the Southwest, where they have adapted to desert conditions for centuries. Maple syrup producers, honey farms and Native-owned food companies are also carrying forward traditions while introducing these foods to new audiences.
The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska offers another example of how food can bring a community together. Each year, community members and Ho-Chunk, Inc. employees come together for the Indian Corn harvest, working side by side to handpick, husk, blanch and prepare the corn for drying. People of all ages take part, sharing stories and cultural teachings along the way. The Indian Corn is grown by Winnebago Public School Academy as a fundraiser, with proceeds helping support educational trips and activities. After the harvest, students deliver the corn to SweetGrass Trading Company, where it is packaged and sold to make this traditional food available to Tribal members across the country.
Each product helps keep those traditions visible and encourages the next generation to continue them.
Supporting Native-owned businesses
Every purchase also supports the people behind the products.
Many Native-owned businesses and Tribal enterprises create jobs, invest in their communities and share the stories behind their foods. By choosing Indigenous-made products, customers help support businesses that are preserving cultural knowledge while building economic opportunities for future generations.
At SweetGrass Trading Co., we’re proud to partner with Native-owned businesses and Tribal enterprises from across the United States. Every product in our food collection represents the work, knowledge and dedication of the people who produce it.