Metro Vancouver is home to several food businesses with strong Indigenous ties, many of which highlight the rich culinary traditions of First Nations communities.
These establishments honour ancestral practices by incorporating traditional ingredients like salmon, bannock, and wild berries, while emphasizing sustainable harvesting methods.
Blending respect for time-honoured techniques with modern innovation, they offer a meaningful and flavourful connection to Indigenous culture in the most delicious ways.
From Vancouver's thriving premiere Indigenous restaurant to a unique charcuterie business, a local tea blending company, and several skilled coffee roasters, here are some Indigenous-owned or affiliated food businesses in and around the Lower Mainland to check out.
Tawnshi Charcuterie
Tawnshi means "hello" in Michif, the language of the Metis. It's the name life and business partners Marina LeClair and Trevor Jansen chose for the charcuterie company they launched when the pandemic landed them both out of work.
Looking at the growing food delivery market, the pair noticed a gap in Indigenous representation. "All the charcuterie boards were very Euro-centric," they told V.I.A. in early 2023. "There were lots of options but no real choices. The idea of an Indigenous charcuterie box was fresh and new to the market."
Customers can order from a selection of curated boxes featuring Indigenous components like berries, salmon, and bannock. The boxes are available for delivery in much of Metro Vancouver.
Salmon n' Bannock
Salmon n' Bannock on Broadway is the city's only spot for authentic Indigenous cuisine. The restaurant was founded in 2010 to provide a gathering place with a focus on people and food. Staff members proudly represent various First Nations from across the country. The modern bistro team carefully selects fresh ingredients that support local Indigenous food providers.
"There's a lot of dialogue and people are starting to understand more about our stories and to actually have a location that people can come and meet us and talk to us and try the food, it's amazing," owner Inez Cook told V.I.A. in 2021.
In December 2022, Salmon n' Bannock opened its On The Fly location at YVR, becoming the first Indigenous restaurant to operate in a Canadian airport. Salmon n’ Bannock On The Fly is located in International Departures, post-security.
Tradish - The Ancestor Cafe
In early 2024, Chef Sarah Meconse Mierau launched Tradish inside Fort Langley, and the restaurant swiftly gained critical praise, including a spot on the long list of finalists for Air Canada's Best New Restaurants of the year. The business' mission is to introduce organic, sustainable traditional foods while offering an opportunity to learn about and experience Indigenous culture.
The menu includes bannock tacos and dishes showcasing plant medicine jams along with tea and coffee.
Mr Bannock
Squamish Nation member Paul Natrall's Mr Bannock food truck offers public, private, and catering services across the Lower Mainland.
"Not a lot of people are aware of what (Indigenous cuisine) is," Natrall told Pique in 2017, ahead of the truck's launch in January 2018. "I believe everybody's behind on it. But that's because our culture was taken away... and some of those traditions didn't get passed down. Just through talking to elders and other Aboriginals in my community, we want to bring that back. It's very exciting."
Bangin' Bannock
Founders Kelsey Coutts and Destiny Hoostie launched their packaged bannock mix business in 2021, with an aim to put a spotlight on Indigenous food and culture and female entrepreneurship.
"We grew up in a family of six kids, so bannock was just a way to feed a lot of kids and it was something that was delicious and it was versatile," Hoostie shared with V.I.A. in 2021.
"When you're eating together, you are already sharing on a different level and it opens those doors for communication in a really beautiful way," added Coutts.
The team behind Bangin' Bannock was brought together by the 3C Challenge, an initiative that helps Indigenous people develop business skills and explore their entrepreneurial opportunities. The mixes are available for retail (including online) and wholesale purchase.
Spirit Bear Coffee Company
Port Coquitlam-based Spirit Bear is a First Nations-owned local coffee business. "We support the health of our coffee bean farmers through organic farming methods and [ensure] that they are paid fairly via Fair Trade premiums. We love working with companies and organizations who share our values of community, family, and respecting Mother Earth," describe owners on the coffee company's website.
The business, which launched in 2006, offers several coffee products, including pods, beans, sampler sets, and single-serve sachets (found often in hotel rooms) for retail and wholesale.
Sriracha Revolver Hot Sauce
Sweetgrass First Nation member Jordan Hocking launched her artisanal hot sauce business in 2017, building on the concept of offering home cooks a fun and delicious locally-made ingredient to spice up their food. "All her hot sauce recipes have been inspired by flavours or ingredients she has enjoyed while travelling or by wanting to eat something that didn't exist anywhere else," describes the business' website.
The popular products are available at numerous retailers across Metro Vancouver and even Canada, but are also available to order online, and are used by some local restaurants and cafés. Flavours include Cilantro Lime Green Habanero, Beets + Tequila, and Jalapeño Ginger.
Thunderbird Café - Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre
Head north from Vancouver to Whistler's SLCC to learn about local Indigenous history and experience the on-site Thunderbird Café. The menu features Indigenous-inspired and affordable daily specials made with fresh local ingredients, including items like salmon chowder, venison chili, and bannock.
Trek Coffee
Indigenous veteran McKenzie Robinson started his Trek Coffee business in 2019. The Vancouver-based roaster and wholesaler offers a line of coffee blends that he designed to reflect "the rugged beauty of British Columbia," with names like Basecamp, Trailblazer, and Summit. Trek can supply coffee to cafés, businesses, grocery stores, and special events.
Raven and Hummingbird Tea Co
West Vancouver's Raven and Hummingbird is a handcrafted, small-batch, indigenous-owned tea business, run by mother and daughter Cease Wyss and Senaqwila Wyss from the Squamish Nation.
The company's products range from indigenous teas made from traditional Pacific Northwest plant medicines, though they also have blends that reflect their Hawaiian heritage. Many of the plants used in their teas are grown locally in a community garden in the Xwemeltchsn (Capilano Reserve in West Vancouver). One of their best-selling loose-leaf tea blends is called West Coast Wild, which contains stinging nettles, mint, dandelion root, burdock root, rosehips, and hawthorne berries. The teas are available for purchase online or at retail stockists.
Stephen's Coffee
Based in Surrey, Stephen's is an Indigenous-owned coffee roasting business whose beans are available for purchase for retail and wholesale. They also sell coffee beverages, including cold brew and nitro coffee, at events and festivals. Bean blends feature names like "Dolphin," "Orca," and "Frog."
Organic Ocean
Though its owners are not Indigenous themselves, local seafood distributor Organic Ocean works closely with Indigenous fishermen to source its premium, sustainable seafood. Founders Dane Chauvel and Steve Johansen created Organic Ocean with two overriding objectives: To create a supply chain to "get the finest quality, sustainably harvested seafood to consumers with minimal handling and in the shortest time from bait to plate possible," and to do what they could to "draw attention to the plight of the seafood industry in Canada – indeed the world – because of uncontrolled industrial-level harvesting practices which were not paying anywhere near the full cost of their operation."
Customers across Canada can shop with Organic Ocean online for shipping or delivery.
With files from Allie Turner and Thor Diakow
