Linda Dipper and partner Ray Kochel have a dream to bring the unique flavours of the Australian bush to big city folk. The couple own and operate Oz Tukka. Based at Redhead, close to the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, the business harvests and sources sustainable bush tucker from the local region to produce a range of delectable products that feature flavours such as wattle seed, Davidson plum and lemon myrtle.

Bringing Australia’s wealth of nourishing flora to the masses is a passion for Dipper, who often questions why our schools don’t teach students about the bush foods of our First people.

“Why are we importing various foods, when we have plenty of our own native foods growing and with the ability to grow more?” Dipper asks. “Why didn’t we all learn this from a young age? Why has so much been kept from us?”

As more schools incorporate the study of our indigenous history and culture into their curriculum, Dipper says Oz Tukka fields an increasing number of requests to attend schools to share their knowledge. She and Kochel have put together education kits to assist in teaching students about Australian native bush foods and the business provides tours of their HACCP certified native food production factory. Increasingly big business and corporate groups are also taking part in the tours, keen to provide staff with a taste of Aussie culture.

“Most Australian’s have hardly been in contact with our own native food, so naturally, part of the sale of our products includes education. We do lots of talking!” Dipper laughs.

Over the past few years, Oz Tukka has garnered numerous awards for its products including Gold medals for its Rainforest Macadamia Oil and the duo are deservedly proud of their products, many of which are wild harvested by indigenous communities.

“We always aim to purchase from them, to support these communities, wherever possible,” Dipper says.

Excitingly, Dipper tells KBB that the business has plans to extend its offering further.

“We are transforming Oz Tukka into a place for all things native, including a collection of other native food producers’ products, bush food garden and recipe books, native edible plants and an ever-growing stock of dried and frozen bush foods.Cooking demonstrations and classes are also in the pipeline,” she says.

Dipper is also keen to educate everyday Aussies on the sustainable properties and health benefits of our native flora.

“I want to share what our Indigenous Australians have been eating for thousands of years… It’s the world’s oldest food. This food is adapted to our harsh climate, has naturally incredible health properties, they taste absolutely amazing AND they are in our backyard!

If Dipper gets her way, every Aussie will cultivate and benefit from growing their own patch of native flora. Expect to be happily bottling lilli pilli jams, pickling bush tomato and sipping on tea made from native mint.

“I want to have native bush food plants available for everyone to grow at home and then I’d want them to use them in their daily diet,” she finishes.

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