Wiradjuri woman and founder of Yaala Sparkling Tara Croker has always loved experimenting with flavours and native ingredients. It’s something the Wiradjuri woman inherited from her grandmother who grew all her own food. “One of the ways I connect with the land is through food and drink,” says Tara. “I like to try this flavour with that flavour and brew it together into teas and kombucha. We landed on sparkling water because it’s an inclusive drink.”
What started as Tara’s passion for native ingredients in her kitchen is now a four-flavour range stocked nationally, and one of the most recognisable Indigenous-owned brands in Australian beverage. “There’s less than two per cent Indigenous ownership across the entire [bush food] supply chain from farming to end product,” she says. “When I heard that, it put the fire in my belly. This knowledge comes from First Nations people and thousands of years of using these plants as medicines and foods, and yet none of the economic benefits are returning to where that knowledge comes from.”
Yaala Sparkling’s national profile was lifted in 2023 when Tara appeared on Shark Tank and secured investment from Dr Catriona Wallace. Since then, the business has scaled across retail, wholesale and events. It partners with Indigenous artists and local suppliers, and stocks in retailers and venues across Australia. Bottles can also be ordered directly from the Yaala Sparkling website.
Here, Tara shares what she has learned in her entrepreneurial journey so far, and her tips for other new businesses.
Find People Who Share Your Passion
“It’s really wonderful to get similar-minded people together who believe in our vision and have lent in to strive for the mission of what we’re doing. Being able to bring people together is a bit of a superpower of mine.”
Small Businesses Need to Be Authentic
“We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about our why, our vision, our mission, our purpose, and that sets you up from the get-go for decision making. I think people really understand what we’re trying to do, which is to celebrate and share a truly Australian drink that we can all be proud of. We work directly with our community, and we’ve partnered with several female Indigenous artists on the label artwork to tell the stories of the ingredients we use.”
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Embrace the Learning Curve and Become a Better Business Owner
“My background is in marketing, so building a beverage company meant getting fluent in things marketing doesn’t teach you: manufacturing runs, cold chain logistics, food safety regulations, supply chain economics. In bigger business, you have the joy of other departments of business functions. As a founder, you are all of this until you’ve built the team to take it off your plate. The advantage now is that I understand every part of the business end to end, and that makes me a better operator and a better partner to the people I work with.”
Trust Your Instincts Before You Have All the Answers
“If I’d known on day one everything that building this business would require, I might have talked myself out of it. The instinct that gets you started – that this matters and someone needs to do it – has to be louder than the list of things you don’t yet know how to do. You learn the rest as you go. Three years in, I’m grateful past-me didn’t wait for permission or a perfect plan.”
Connect With the Wider Small Business Community
“The Indigenous business community and the wider founder network have been generous with their time, and I pay that forward. Some of my best decisions came out of coffees with people I admire and cold messaged. Embrace the lessons along the way, and once you've learned them, share them.”
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Back Yourself When Opportunity Knocks
“I’ve always been a really big fan of the TV show ‘Shark Tank’. I would have loved to see a business like ours on a mainstream show like that, and I never had. When my friends said, ‘You should go for it’, I was like, ‘Of course I should!’. [When we appeared] we got to share what we’re doing with native plants and have a bit of dialogue about Indigenous business ownership.”
Tara’s Small Business Essentials
- Sony WF-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds Black: “These have excellent noise cancelling and are so compact to take everywhere with me. They also switch easily between devices, which is really helpful for phone and laptop use.”
- Surface Arc Mouse Black: “This is super mobile and fits in a handbag so easily thanks to the slim foldable design – I actually have two. I get asked about it all the time.”
- Fitbit Versa 4 Smart Watch Pink/Copper Rose: “I always track my health – particularly my sleep – to see whether I’m feeling top of my game or not.”
- J.Burrows Magnetic Aluminium Frame Whiteboard 1200 x 900mm: “I’ve just started doing whiteboarding – I put longer term to-do lists on them.”
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This article was originally published in April 2024 and has been updated.
