Aboriginal-owned chip company appears on Yellowknife shelves
Indigenous entrepreneur built business without financial assistance
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Friday, June 24, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Native Canadian Chip Corporation is all that and a bag of chips.
The Co-op has just introduced Tomahawk Chips, produced by the indigenous-owned Native Canadian Chip Coporation. Company president Alfred Lea is proud to say he set up his business with no government subsidies. - photo courtesy of Kevin Forward - |
The aboriginal-owned potato chip company recently made their debut at the Yellowknife Co-op.
The Native Canadian Chip Corporation is based in Manitoba, headed by president Alfred Lea. He built his company with no government subsidies or other financial assistance, a fact Lea is quick to point out.
He visited Yellowknife last week for a meet-and-greet to introduce people to his brand, Tomahawk Chips.
"It is the only private label out there that's owned by an individual as opposed to a corporation," he said. "I'm First Nations and it's been coming along very well with the help of people ... I had a good show and meet-and-greet in Yellowknife. Everybody was very happy, there are people who eat potato chips and there are people that don't eat potato chips, overall everybody supported us, 'Way to go', 'Good luck', 'It's about time.'"
The distinctive bags are decorated with indigenous art. Lea made this aspect a priority in his product design.
"I wanted to try to help the artists because a lot of them are having a hard time," he said. "I purchase the right to use it, and then they can do whatever they want with it, the bag is just a medium for their work."
Which means it's not just what's in the bag that draws consumers.
"Actually I have a bag of barbecue (flavoured chips) in front of me right now, it has aboriginal art on it, this one has a turtle. It's neat," said Justin Nelson, general manager of the Yellowknife Co-op.
The indigenous imagery on the bags is a stark contrast to other packaging featuring First Nations motifs. For example, in 2013, Quebec snack manufacturer Krispy Kernels faced backlash after it revived its "Little Indian" logo from 1959 on it's Yum Yum potato chip bags for a marketing campaign. Many products, from food items to sports teams, have been revamping their logos - in 2014, for instance, Western Canada High School in Calgary changed their logo from the Redmen to the Redhawks, and the Washington Redskins continue to come under fire for their logo. Unlike these caricatures of First Nations culture, the imagery on The Native Canadian Chip Corporation bags is actual indigenous art.
"It allows for ... people to bridge the gap between First Nations and the mainstream public," said Lea.
The chips, produced in Manitoba, are available in Arctic Co-operatives throughout the Canadian Arctic, as well as Northern Stores and Giant Tigers. Lea says they're also starting to be distributed in Ontario and throughout Manitoba.
"Just to start out now we're doing two truck loads and hopefully we'll get up to five truck loads a month, that's the idea. We don't want to get too big too quick," he said.
