Blak Brews’ mission to unite over tea earns national recognition

LOCAL Indigenous tea brand Blak Brews is back in the spotlight, this time earning national recognition at the NAIDOC Week Awards, presented on Saturday in Perth on Noongar Whadjuk country.

The Geelong-based business took out the Innovation Award, a nod to its creative and forward-thinking approach and its efforts to foster positive change.

“Innovation looks a lot like NAIDOC: strength, vision and legacy,” event MC Narelda Jacobs said while presenting the award.

“The Innovation Award honours those who, like the first NAIDOC mob 50 years ago, weren’t afraid to do things differently – they don’t wait for permission to break the mould, flip the script and find new ways to elevate our people and our cultures.”

Indeed, for founder Troy Benjamin and his wife Cerisa, Blak Brews has always been about far more than a humble cup of tea – it’s a vehicle for connection, friendship and deep conversations that transcend borders.

Accepting the award last week, an emotional Benjamin thanked his “small but mighty” team, his wife for her belief in the brand “long before it even had a name”, and his mother for raising a “rule breaker”.

“The vital need for collaboration and working together has got us to where we are today, and I see a stronger future when more of that happens,” he said.

“We aren’t just Vegemite lovers – so much Aussie pride stops short of our First Nations Peoples.

“I truly see Blak Brews as a way we can pierce through the negative stereotypes that get put on us and get all Australians to be proud of something that respects this land’s true, deep, rich and loving history.

“Australians have been doing it around the kettle for 230 years, but we’ve been doing it around the fire for 60,000 years.”

The award follows a whirlwind 18 months for Blak Brews, after the business last year gained global recognition as the inaugural winner of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars competition.

As the business continues to expand its impact, it has found a new home within the newly relaunched Booln Booln Cultural Centre, with the site’s café to serve as an extension of the Blak Brews brand.