Well people, I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable Easter weekend. I hope the Easter Bunny left lots of Easter eggs for the little ones, heaps of chocolate.
We must not forget those with the spirit of Easter and enjoyed their church services to refresh their inner spiritual self, in making them see the rest of the year through new challenges, and achieve their aspirations with their families. Also, let us not forget those unfortunate ones who have recently lost loved ones. May they rest in peace. āriafoods is back at the Paraparaumu Farmers Market this Saturday 2nd April. For those who are having Awazibi Maple Syrup withdrawal symptoms, come and get your syrup fix this Saturday. We will be glad to see your familiar faces and catch up with some chat. See you then.
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 Waking up to a typical beautiful day my youngest son (21yrs) and I had a 5am morning start and drove from Ōtaki and headed to the Martinborough market to sell our Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation's Indigenous pure Awazibi Maple Syrup.
It was absolutely people packed, and busy with the exchange of wares and $$s. What a great day for family to participate in this glorious event. There were many foodstalls from ice cream to hotdogs, and hamburgers and many choices of cultural foods. The concept of this market day for a small rural town was a fantastic idea from the beginning. They probably didn't realise how big this event would turn into. It has been in operation since 1977 and has changed very little since then. If you are thinking of using this event to promote your wares, you need to book ahead by two years at least. I would certainly recommend it. āriafoods certainly had a great day with our product, as we completely "sold out", and we generated such interest because some of those customers who did buy the product commented on how beautiful it tasted, and to such an extent, they placed an order for more. Now that's what market day is all about for those stall holders who are trying to drum up more business. We must not forget too, that it's also about meeting people, other stall holders as well. So, to this end, I would highly recommend spending a family day at the Martinborough market. Tom Winitana Te Roroa is an Iwi from the region between the Kaipara Harbour and the Hokianga Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. They operate a number of Iwi owned businesses including a honey operation called Waipoua Honey, named after the forest they boarder and which is home to the largest Kauri tree in New Zealand called Tāne Mahuta.
We began working with Te Roroa over two years ago to look at selling their products through āria foods and the potential to export to oversea markets. At the same time we were talking with Trade Aid about the opportunity to sell Awazibi Maple Syrup through their network and this eventually lead us to connect Te Roroa with Trade Aid and for them to become the first Indigenous sourced, New Zealand based food product accepted for sale through their stores. At the core of the relationship is the recognition that the aims and values of Te Roroa line up with the mission and values of Trade Aid. And even though they may not fit with the traditional notion of aid for developing countries, Te Roroa's commitment to Northland, its aspirations for improving the lives of its people and its role of kaitiaki (guardian) for the lands and forests surrounding it, including Tāne Mahuta, provides Trade Aid with the confidence its support will make a difference in the lives of Iwi and New Zealand as a whole.. You can show your support by shopping at Trade Aid stores and buying Waipoua Honey. The Iwi is also committed to using some of the money generated from honey sales to fighting Kauri Die Back, a disease that is killing Kauri trees across New Zealand. And if you get a chance support Trade Aid by volunteering. They are a great community to be a part of.  āria Foods would like to announce that we have joined the My Home Foodie site and it's fantastic. Check it out! Mark this date, 5th December 2015, in your smartphones, diaries or wall calendars people. All members of the "My Home Foodies" group will be having a special market day in Waikanae. Why not make a picnic day of it and bring the family and kids. Buy some awesome food goodies and head on down to the beach. Tom Yes Tom and I have been busy. We have plenty of news to share and I am sure like you, we are looking forward to Christmas and a warm summer. We look forward to hearing from you and as always if you are after the best Maple Syrup in the world, go to our store and buy all you need.
Graeme Everton  We had the opportunity to talk with Andre Morriseau from NationTalk about our work at āria foods and the potential of indigenous people working together globally. Go here to listen. The work of āria foods was recently featured in the Huffington Post. The article was written by Jean Paul (JP) Gladu. He is currently the President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) based in Toronto. Anishinaabe from Thunder Bay JP is a member of the Sand Point First Nation located on the eastern shores of Lake Nipigon.
In November indigenous people from all over the world met in Guatemala City, Guatemala for the 5th Annual World Indigenous Business Forum (WIBF). Its aim was to bring together indigenous businesses to talk about global opportunities and the benefits of both trading amongst ourselves and together to meet global demands. āria foods was given as an example of work being done now to achieve this goal.  We have just added a wonderful product range for Manawa Honey. Their honey comes from a precious place - Ruatahuna, which is known as Te Manawa-o-Te-Ika-a-Maui, the Heart of Maui’s Fish. The name refers to the exploits of Maui, an ancestor from ancient mythologies, who pulled up a huge fish from the depths of the Pacific Ocean, that was transformed to become the North Island of New Zealand, as we know it today. Ruatahuna is located in the heart of a vast region of remote untouched native forests known as Te Urewera which extends for over 200,000 hectares. Te Urewera is the homeland of the tribe Tuhoe, known for holding fast to cultural tradition. Te Urewera is also a region with different types of flora that is the perfect home for keeping bees and producing pure and natural honey. Find out more at www.manawahoney.co.nz  
Tom's setup in Paraparaumu
Graeme's setup in Palmerston North in the Square
The Labour Weekend Market Day Well people, My wife, Helen and I went to the Paraparaumu market, while Graeme did the Palmerston North market, which was held in the Square. It was a beautiful day for both markets, Although it turned a little cool later in the day in the Square. However, all-in-all folks, the market day wasn't too bad. It was also the first day for a new product to provide customers another choice and try out the Tāwari Honey, produced by Manawa Honey NZ. See you at the next farmers market. 
As you know we at aria foods are dedicated to bringing the best of indigenous products to you, sourced from partner communities we know and work with from around the world. These communities are active in advocating for the rights of their people and the land they occupy.
Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation who are the proud suppliers of Awazibi Maple Syrup recently sent a letter to the Government of Canada and Ontario reminding them of the need to respect First Nations traditional lands and to listen to them when contemplating developments in or around their territories. Often these communities are on the front-line of environmental advocacy, not because it's trendy but because industries like mining or forestry will have a long term affect on the health and well-being of the community and the environment they live in. Having alternative development options to these industries like maple syrup production not only ensures more sustainable income but provides a viable alternative to more destructive industries. So yes by buying Awazibi Maple Syrup you are directly supporting a better future for us all. |
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April 2016
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