Native American Natural Foods

What Native American Natural Foods does

Native American Natural Foods is a privately held, Oglala Lakota-owned natural foods company founded in 2006 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Kyle, South Dakota, that produces and sells a family of buffalo-based snack products under the Tanka brand. Its core offering comprises Tanka Bars, Bites, Sticks, and Warrior Bars, built on traditional Lakota wasna/pemmican recipes that combine prairie-fed, grass-fed bison with tart-sweet cranberries. The products are positioned as minimally processed, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, antibiotic-free, and nitrite-free portable energy foods targeting health-conscious consumers seeking clean-label snacks, and the company holds B Corporation certification.

The business operates a dual-channel go-to-market: direct-to-consumer e-commerce via a Shopify storefront on tankabar.com with a stated 14-day shipping window, and wholesale distribution through natural foods retailers including Natural Grocers, supported by a store locator and a dedicated customer service team that coordinates retail product demos. Marketing is content-led, anchored by the company's website, the "Talking Circle" storytelling blog, an email newsletter, and social media channels that emphasize Native heritage and the Tanka Fund's mission to convert 1,000,000 acres of virgin prairie to regenerative, buffalo-based agriculture.

The leadership team comprises co-founders Karlene Hunter and Mark A. Tilsen (who previously co-founded Lakota Express in 1996), CEO Dawn Sherman, and a small operating staff of 11-50 employees, with no external institutional investment or parent company disclosed. The company is recognized as the only nationally distributed Native American packaged snack brand in the natural foods industry and has accumulated multiple leadership and innovation awards from the Specialty Food Association, the SBA, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Name

Native American Natural Foods

Legal name

Native American Natural Foods

Website

https://tankabar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Native American Natural Foods is an Oglala Lakota-owned natural foods company that makes buffalo-based Tanka Bars, Bites, Sticks, and Warrior Bars from traditional Lakota recipes, sold direct-to-consumer online and through natural foods retailers such as Natural Grocers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Consumer direct sales through company-owned e-commerce website selling Tanka Bars, Tanka Bites, Tanka Sticks, and Tanka Warrior Bars. Products shipped directly to consumers.
2. Retail Distribution: Wholesale distribution through natural foods retailers and grocery stores, including Natural Grocers and other natural foods industry partners.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Native American Natural Foods manufactures and sells a family of buffalo (bison)-based meat snack products under the Tanka brand, including Tanka Bars, Tanka Bites, Tanka Sticks, and Tanka Warrior Bars. The products are based on traditional Lakota wasna and pemmican recipes, combining prairie-fed grass-fed bison with tart-sweet cranberries to deliver high-protein, minimally processed portable snack foods for health-conscious consumers.

Product overview

Native American Natural Foods (Tanka Brand) offers a family of buffalo-based food products built on traditional Lakota wasna and pemmican recipes. The product line consists of four core snack formats: Tanka Bars (full-size meat bars), Tanka Bites (smaller portions), Tanka Sticks (stick format), and Tanka Warrior Bars, all featuring grass-fed bison and tart-sweet cranberries. These products are marketed as ancient nutrition for modern healthy lifestyles, providing portable energy for endurance and top performance. The company also offers Tanka Variety Boxes as gift/bundle options. All Tanka products are gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, antibiotic-free, and nitrite-free. Native American Natural Foods is the maker of the only nationally distributed Native American packaged snack brand in the natural foods industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tanka Bars: 100% natural bison meat bars made with grass-fed bison and tart-sweet cranberries, based on traditional Native American Lakota recipe.
• Tanka Bites
• Tanka Sticks
• Tanka Warrior Bars

Products and services

• Tanka Bars 100% natural real food meat bars based on a traditional Native American Lakota recipe for wasna or pemmican, made with grass-fed bison and tart-sweet cranberries. Marketed as portable energy for endurance, top performance, and a healthful lifestyle. Gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, antibiotic-free, and nitrite-free.
• Tanka Bites Smaller, bite-sized portions of the buffalo-based snack product, offering the same grass-fed bison and cranberry formula in a smaller portion format for health-conscious consumers.
• Tanka Sticks Stick format of the buffalo-based snack product, featuring the traditional wasna/pemmican recipe with prairie-fed buffalo and cranberries, targeted at consumers seeking portable, protein-rich snacks.
• Tanka Warrior Bars Buffalo-based portable energy bar in the Tanka product line, featuring various flavors and based on traditional Native American recipes for consumers seeking high-protein, clean-label snack options.
• Tanka Variety Boxes Pre-packaged gift sets containing assorted Tanka products from the buffalo-based snack line, designed for gifting purposes.

Quantifiable outcome

• First nationally distributed Native American packaged snack brand

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Chomps: Direct peer — produces grass-fed beef, turkey, and venison meat sticks positioned as clean-label, high-protein snacks. Competes head-to-head with Tanka Sticks/Bites in the natural foods channel and DTC.
• Country Archer Provisions: Direct peer — grass-fed beef jerky, sticks, and meat bars sold in natural foods retailers (including Natural Grocers) and DTC. Closest direct competitor on shelf and in ingredient philosophy (grass-fed, no nitrates).
• Wild Zora Foods: Direct peer — paleo meat and veggie snack bars made with grass-fed lamb, beef, and turkey. Targets the same clean-label, high-protein consumer and natural foods retail channel as Tanka.
• Paleoethics: Direct peer — small-batch grass-fed beef and bison snack sticks/bars with a paleo/whole-foods positioning. Directly comparable meat-snack format and clean-label philosophy to Tanka.
• Mission Meats: Direct peer — grass-fed beef, turkey, and salmon meat sticks sold in natural foods retailers and DTC. Targets similar health-conscious, high-protein snack consumer with clean-label credentials.
• Think Jerky: Direct peer — premium all-natural, low-sugar beef jerky and meat sticks sold through natural/specialty retail and DTC. Competes in adjacent meat-snack category with similar ingredient standards.
• KRAVE Jerky: Direct peer — premium, clean-ingredient jerky and meat sticks positioned for active, health-conscious consumers. Sold in natural and conventional retail channels with similar product philosophy.

Broad incumbents

• Jack Link's: Broad incumbent — the dominant mass-market meat snack brand (jerky, sticks, bites). Demonstrates category scale but targets mainstream CPG retail rather than Tanka's natural foods/heritage niche.
• EPIC Provisions: Broad incumbent — grass-fed, paleo-friendly meat bars and snacks now owned by General Mills. Closest analog in product format (meat bars with fruit/nut pairings) and target consumer; competes directly on shelf in natural foods.

Others

• Lakota Express: Related entity — the founders' prior direct marketing and customer care business operating on Pine Ridge Reservation. Provides shared services (direct mail, fulfillment support) and demonstrates the founders' entrepreneurial track record.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tankatalk
• Instagraminstagram.com/tankabar
• Xx.com/tankabar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/native-american-natural-foods-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Native American Natural Foods