Crowdfunding campaign aims to bring Indigenous grains to many kitchens

The Gurandgi Munjie Food Company is working to bring back the Indigenous staples that were once widely grown and eaten in Australia.

The Gurandgi Munjie Food Company is hoping to make Indigenous grains such as kangaroo grass and panicum decompositum Australian staples once more. Source: Pozible/Gurandgi Munjie Food Company

An Indigenous food company is trying to revive native grains that were once staples of the Aboriginal diet and "start Australia on a whole new agricultural journey". 

The Gurandgi Munjie Food Company, which is dedicated to recovering traditional "bush tucker" ingredients, is growing kangaroo grass and Panicum decompositum in the hopes of bringing them back to Australian cuisine. And they've launched a crowd-funded campaign to help make the grains more widely available. 

The company says bread made from both flours has a superior aroma and flavour to wheat flour.

"Ben Shewry, chef of the year 2016 at Attica Restaurant, ate two thirds of our kangaroo grass loaf on his own. He was amazed at the taste and texture," the company writes.

Made up of a group of Aboriginal men and women, Gurandgi Munjie has been growing yams, grains, vegetables, fruits and herbs on the south coast of NSW and east Gippsland in Victoria. 

Along with the superior taste, the company says kangaroo grass and panicum are more environmentally friendly.  

"These grains are perennial grasses with amazingly large and deep root structures to take advantage of relatively poor soils and low moisture levels," the company says.

"Being perennial means the land doesn’t need to be ploughed so the ground is less compacted and the farmer uses less diesel and saves a mountain of labour."

However, currently the grains are hand-harvested, so Gurandgi Munjie has started a pozible campaign to raise money to buy a harvester and cool plate flour mill so they can scale up to commercial production.

"We’ve been supported by volunteers who have ground our flours so far but when we turn up with a truck load of grain their patience might be tested," the company says.

"We need to be independent so we can develop a company that employs Aboriginal people developing their own food industry and taking home real wages to support their families."

So far they have raised more than $6000 of their $17,000 goal, with December 24 their deadline. 

"It seems Australia is on the brink of burgeoning interest in traditional horticulture," Gurandgi Munjie says.

The company plan to deliver this year's production of kangaroo grass and panicum flour to the restaurants and bakeries who have been helping the company with its research.

So kangaroo grass could be on the menu soon.