Tuesday, July 18th | Jenna White, a successful Indigenous entrepreneur based in Fredericton, has brought a fresh wave of inspiration to the Canadian food industry. She has not only established thriving businesses but also contributed significantly to the Indigenous cuisine scene. Today, Jenna is the Founder of Jenna’s Nut Free Dessertery Inc, White Cedar Consulting, and A Taste of the Atlantic.

Jenna’s journey to entrepreneurship started at the local farmers’ market in 2019. After developing a severe nut allergy and losing a significant portion of her eyesight, she faced immense personal challenges. However, she did not let these setbacks deter her. Drawing inspiration from her children and her lifelong passion for cooking, she took a brave step into the food industry with a modest setup of two small folding tables and a $250 budget at the Boyce Farmers Market in Fredericton.

Despite the hurdles brought on by the pandemic, Jenna persisted. She took the lockdown period as an opportunity to revamp her business model, resulting in an expansion into two brick-and-mortar locations. She also developed professional-grade baking products in partnership with Canada’s Smartest Kitchen, thanks to a grant from Women in Business, New Brunswick. This pivot allowed her to continue her business by classifying it as essential.

Jenna’s breakfast and lunch restaurant, a significant part of her business, offers unique twists on Indigenous food. Beyond the restaurant, she also hosts traditional meal series – dry, three-course dining experiences – which have been consistently successful. These events serve as a gateway into the catering side of her business and provide an opportunity to share Indigenous culture.

An essential aspect of Jenna’s mission is her dedication to using food as a vehicle to share culture. The company’s bannock mix, available in stores across the Maritimes and Ontario, includes a QR code linking to a video explaining the history of bannock and the process of making it.

Amidst all these ventures, Jenna created an Indigenous Cuisine Festival, an event that promotes Indigenous cuisine and culture. It provides an economic boost to various businesses within the community, extending its benefits to all four Atlantic provinces. If that weren’t enough, Jenna is also preparing to launch ‘Smoke and Fire,’ an outdoor tourism experience where everything is cooked with smoke and fire, in the coming summer.

Jenna’s collaboration with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses and organizations has been central to her business strategy. She firmly believes that such collaborations are essential in uplifting the Indigenous entrepreneurial community and inspiring new businesses.

Her advice to aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs in the food industry is to be authentically themselves. She encourages them to share their culture fearlessly, assuring that people will appreciate their unique offerings. Jenna White’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and the potential of Indigenous cuisine in transforming the food industry.

Listen to the Pow Wow Pitch Podcast at powwowpitch.org/podcast to hear our full conversation with Jenna. 

The post A Taste of Tradition with Jenna White appeared first on Pow Wow Pitch.

Today, Pow Wow Pitch, North America’s premier pitch competition for emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented with RBC, Shopify, and Mastercard, announced their partnership with Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) and in collaboration with Women in Business New Brunswick (WBNB) to expand the reach of opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs to New Brunswick. 

Hosted by the Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow in Eel Ground First Nation, Pow Wow Pitch is able to bring its live Indigenous Business Competitions to New Brunswick for the first time. Set to support more than 2,500 Indigenous entrepreneurs, JEDI and WBNB will also be providing mentorship and judging both in person at the Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow in July and through virtual programming in the 2023 Pow Wow Pitch Competition.

The Natoaganeg Traditional Pow Wow Pitch will be Pow Wow Pitch’s first time in New Brunswick and in Atlantic Canada. This milestone is made possible by the teams at JEDI and WBNB, through their collaboration and partnership, Pow Wow Pitch can now reach the Indigenous entrepreneurs of Eel Ground First Nation. Reaching this goal is a mark of accomplishment for Pow Wow Pitch to be able to extend its reach to more communities every year. 

JEDI and WBNB have gone above and beyond to bring Pow Wow Pitch to New Brunswick by taking part in the planning and organization of the Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow. They organized a working group that meets weekly in order to ensure that Pow Wow Pitch is working closely with the Eel Ground First Nation community to bring this opportunity to local Indigenous entrepreneurs. 

WBNB recommended two local judges to select the winners of the first Natoaganeg Pow Wow Pitch, Jolene Johnson, Founder of Wabanki Maple and Jenna White, Founder of Jenna’s Nut-Free Dessertery. Both of these entrepreneurs have growing businesses that attribute to their sense of community and support to being part of Women in Business New Brunswick, the JEDI community, and Pow Wow Pitch. They are shining examples of the ecosystem in action to support Indigenous entrepreneurs.

“The support of an ecosystem is so important for entrepreneurs looking to take action on their ideas,” said Jolene “Organizations like Women in Business New Brunswick, JEDI and Pow Wow Pitch have been so formative to my journey as an entrepreneur, and I am so happy to now be in a position to give back and support the next generation of East Coast entrepreneurs by being a judge at the Natoaganeg Pow Wow Pitch.” 

Natasha Martin-Mitchell, Development Officer for Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs at WBNB, played a key role in organizing with Laura Englehart, Economic Development Manager at JEDI, to unify the two organizations along with Cheryl Ward, Director of Natoaganeg Community Development Centre to be able to bring Pow Wow Pitch East.

“We are so excited to reach this milestone,” said Sunshine Tenasco, Founder of Pow Wow Pitch. “Thanks to JEDI and WBNB we are able to expand our reach to more Indigenous entrepreneurs, especially to a community that has shown us so much support and love. We can’t wait to meet all of the Indigenous entrepreneurs and support them in reaching their goals!” 

The Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) has been actively working closely with Pow Wow Pitch, WBNB, and the Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) Pow Wow Committee to be able to fully support Pow Wow Pitch’s first event in New Brunswick.

 “Working with the Pow Wow Pitch team has been such an exciting and rewarding experience,” said Laura Englehart, Economic Development Manager at JEDI. “We have been wanting to bring Pow Wow Pitch to New Brunswick for some time and are ecstatic to see our collaborative efforts become a reality through strengthening our partnerships. We cannot wait to see our New Brunswick Indigenous entrepreneurs shine at the upcoming Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) Pow Wow and where they will grow and the succeed from there!”

Women in Business NB collaborate with JEDI to bring Pow Wow Pitch to New Brunswick Indigenous Entrepreneurs. Women in Business NB is proud to collaborate with JEDI to bring Pow Wow Pitch to the 2023 Natoaganeg Powwow. 

“There are so many talented entrepreneurs here in NB and we wanted to invite Powwow Pitch to come and celebrate each one of them at this year’s gathering. I want to take this moment to acknowledge all those who are coming forward to share their ideas and hopefully take their venture to the next level with Powwow Pitch’s support,” said Natasha Martin-Mitchell, Development Officer for Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs.

To pre-register your business to pitch at the Natoaganeg Powwow, visit powwowpitch.org/natoaganeg/.

The post Pow Wow Pitch Partners with Joint Economic Development Initiative in Collaboration with Women in Business New Brunswick to bring Pow Wow Pitch to New Brunswick appeared first on Pow Wow Pitch.

Meet Jenna White, Owner of Jenna’s Nut-Free Dessertery from the Metis Nation of Ontario, living in New Brunswick. Jenna is a Pow Wow Pitch Atlantic Canada Semi-Finalist. We sat down with Jenna to learn more about her, her business and her reflections on entrepreneurship. 

PWP: Jenna, can you share with us your entrepreneurial journey?

JW: A few years ago, I had two life-altering experiences close together that changed the course of my life. 

I developed a severe nut allergy and lost most of my eyesight, leaving me legally blind.

I figured, ‘there is no time like the present’ to follow my dreams. So I decided to start my own business because I wanted more for myself and my family. I wanted to show my children that there is always a way to figure it out no matter what obstacles come. 

So, Jenna’s Nut-Free Dessertery started in 2019 at the Boyce Farmers Market. I started slow and small to test viability. 

When the pandemic hit, I decided to step it up and take control. 

On June 1st this year, I opened our location featuring a restaurant and desserty.

PWP: What an incredible journey and example you are setting, Jenna. Can you tell us a bit about what you sell?

As an Indigenous entrepreneur, I carry with me the value of community. That’s why we feed and treat everyone like they are family. But, of course, we also source as much as we can from other Indigenous entrepreneurs.

We sell delicious food and desserts that are nut-free and are free from other allergens and artificial flavours and chemicals. 

I am proud of our space itself, which features a beautiful mural that honours our Indigenous roots.

We are currently working on establishing product lines for our customers, including all-natural baking mixes, like bannock, vanilla and chocolate cake mixes, gourmet hot cocoa and fresh ground flours. 

I am building a fund to support other Indigenous entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs with sight loss, and students to further their dreams with these products.

I want to shake up the industry with transparency in ingredients and production. I want to provide ‘real’ food to everyone and encourage people to rethink how they eat by promising fewer ingredients with all the flavour.

PWP: I’m both inspired and drooling. What has been the most rewarding part of being an entrepreneur?

I have been meeting so many amazing people along the way who enrich my life, and it’s so rewarding to watch my business grow into something I can use to help others. 

PWP: What has been the most challenging part about being an entrepreneur?

Simply put, financing and bureaucracy. But, I am proud of myself for having the courage to always be moving forward.

PWP: Why did you choose to apply for Pow Wow Pitch?

I applied because I thought it would be a great way to fast-track my expansion to new markets. 

Just making the Semi-Finals feels like a huge accomplishment, and I have loved every moment of this experience, especially being matched with two encouraging mentors, Bahaar Luhar from RBC and Sarah Fischer from Shopify. 

PWP: What advice do you have for Indigenous people thinking of starting up a business?

Start small and test your viability. 

Also, no matter how much you think building your business will cost, it will cost at least three times as much. 

Things will always pop up unexpectedly, so think outside of the box to overcome obstacles that come your way.

PWP: Thank you for chatting with us, Jenna! Good luck with the Semi-Finals.

You can support Jenna to reach the Pow Wow Pitch Finals by voting for her for the People’s Choice Prize. Click here to vote for Jenna. You can also watch Jenna pitch at the Atlantic Sem-Finals Live on September 20, 2021, at 6 PM ET / 7 PM ET. Click here to register to watch.

The post Start small and test appeared first on Pow Wow Pitch.