A chef by trade and a Wiradjuri woman, Jo-Ann Wolles business Goanna Hut provides her with the opportunity to use her skills while also sharing her Aboriginal heritage and culture through a huge range of bush-tucker-inspired dishes.

As her career in hospitality developed, Jo-Ann found she missed cooking and wanted to bring the fun and focus on people back into her work. Always hunting and gathering new and different ingredients, she saw an opportunity to introduce the wider community to native foods and ancient superfoods. She started her business in 2014, initially setting up a presence at local gourmet markets, which she loved, and which gave her the chance to try new ideas and see how her potential customers reacted directly.

Jo-Ann’s business is named GoannaHut, as she used to be called Joanna Goanna by her grandmother when she got into mischief! She is helped by a network of family and friends, and looks forward to providing more and more employment and training opportunities for members of her local Koori community as her business grows.

GoannaHut now sells Outback Pride Produce direct to the public, including jams, sauces and more, and also caters for small and large functions with high quality service and delicious food.