Bush Beef to raise $10 million for ethical wild food

‍ Normanby Aboriginal Corporation (NAC) and Esparq Ventures have today announced they have raised $600,000 as part of their mission to raise $10 million to commercialise, launch, and nationally scale their innovative and sustainable enterprise, Bush Beef. 

Normanby Aboriginal Corporation, who operate a cattle station inland from Cooktown, together with Esparq Ventures, which is building a business ecosystem for Indigenous entrepreneurs to succeed, have raised $600,000 in combined support from the Macdoch Foundation, Bright Moon Trust, and a private trust.

This funding will be used to process and distribute Bush Beef’s uniquely sustainable and wildly harvested wild meat to chefs, wholesalers and consumers nationwide. This comes as ethical, climate-friendly food sources are in growing demand. With further funding, Bush Beef will be able to further accelerate its reach and scale. 

Transforming an ecological threat into a scalable wild food venture

For years, unclaimed “clean skin” cattle across Normanby Station’s 30,000 hectares have eroded land, degraded riverbanks, and damaged cultural rock art sites. In response, the NAC established ranger programs to restore ecosystems, reducing the number of free-roaming cattle, but the by-product of this work had no viable outlet. 

With research support from the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), NAC began exploring ways to turn this challenge into opportunity. The result was Bush Beef: a direct-to-market approach showcasing the unique quality of wild-harvested, organic beef

Bush Beef provides processing and distribution services of its signature wild food product, which is climate-friendly, sustainably harvested, and connected to Country. 

Vince Harrigan, Managing Director of NAC, said, “Bush Beef is sustainably harvested, with no preservatives, chemicals, or traditional farming methods. It’s providing the true paddock to plate experience, giving Australians a wild food like no other. We’re turning a cultural and environmental challenge into an opportunity for our land and community. 

“We thank the businesses and people who have backed us so far, and can’t wait to work with more values-aligned organisations and restaurateurs wanting to serve organic beef from some of the most remote paddocks in the world.” 

A meaty $10 million opportunity to scale Indigenous innovation

In partnership with Esparq Ventures, NAC is looking to raise a total of $10 million to build Bush Beef into a premium Indigenous-led enterprise. The model has already demonstrated its appeal through successful pop-up events at select restaurants, where chefs and diners praised its clean, gamey flavour and strong provenance. Bush Beef is now in discussions with some of Australia’s leading restaurants, keen to feature this unique product.

Bush Beef are also in the process of developing food packs that can be sent and sold to regions that experience food insecurity due to natural disasters and major weather events exacerbated by climate change, including communities in Cape York. 

The business model has been designed to be scalable and replicable. Traditional Land Owners in other states and territories could adopt this approach to deliver environmental, cultural, and economic benefits in their communities. 

Dominiqe Bird, Head of Advisory at Esparq Ventures, said, “The market is hungry for ethical, wild food and climate-friendly sources of protein. Bush Beef is proving it can solve environmental challenges while delivering a premium, high-quality product. We’re proud to partner with NAC to bring such a unique offering to market, and we see huge potential for this model to be replicated by other Indigenous communities across the country.”

“Bush Beef is just getting started. We hope and invite other Indigenous communities across the country to work together to leverage our model and replicate our impact. For investors, partners, and other supporters wanting to be a part of this exciting venture in the early stages of commercialisation, we’re open to discussions with like-minded people looking for bold, relentless, and resilient entrepreneurs to back.”

Michelle Gortan, CEO of Macdoch Foundation, added, “We’re proud to be supporting Bush Beef, an exciting example of how First Nations-led agriculture can deliver environmental benefits, empower communities, and create economic opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses. We were drawn to Normanby Aboriginal Council for their commitment to addressing food security while managing Country and preserving cultural sites. Bush Beef is already reaching new heights and preparing to scale nationally after repeated, positive market feedback. We can’t wait to see how Bush Beef continues to grow and scale.”

Further resources:

• Video about Bush Beef’s soft launch at the inaugural Indigiearth Native Foods Festival
• Video about the work NAC is doing on Normanby Station
• Imagery and more information about Bush Beef on Instagram

For pre-orders for 2026 and more information, visit www.bushbeef.com.au