Mabu Mabu

What Mabu Mabu does

Mabu Mabu is a 100% Indigenous-owned, women-led, and LGBTQIA+ Australian food company founded in 2018 by Torres Strait Islander chef Nornie Bero. The company operates across three departments—retail, catering, and dining—with over 80 employees headquartered in Melbourne. Its core mission is to make native Australian ingredients the hero of the Australian kitchen, supported by a vertically integrated portfolio that includes the Kara Meta small-batch pantry brand (teas, spices, sauces, cookbooks, specialty kits) sold direct-to-consumer via Shopify e-commerce and wholesale to retail stores; the Big Esso all-day bar and kitchen at Federation Square; and a Metro Melbourne catering service with custom quotes for corporate and private events.

The business model combines transactional revenue (e-commerce product sales priced $14.50–$48 AUD, restaurant dining, wholesale distribution) with professional services revenue (catering with a $500+GST minimum spend and 12-item minimum order, plus paid speaking engagements and workshops by the founder). Products are handmade and small-batch, formulated around native Australian botanicals such as wattleseed, lemon myrtle, strawberry gum, and pepperberries. Distribution is exclusively domestic Australian, with the catering operation geographically limited to Metro Melbourne and retail/wholesale reach across Victoria via the Shopify storefront (mabumabu.com.au), the Big Esso physical venue, and wholesale enquiries. The underlying technology stack is minimal—Shopify for commerce, OpenTable for reservations—with no proprietary platform or disclosed AI/data capabilities.

Customer segments are horizontally diversified across retail consumers, corporate event organizers, retail store wholesalers, and restaurant diners. Marketing relies on organic social (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), email newsletter, and community events. The company has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries, operating as an independent privately held entity. In 2025, Mabu Mabu announced the closure of its original South Melbourne Market location after seven years, framing it as a transition to a new chapter rather than a wind-down.

Name

Mabu Mabu

Legal name

Mabu Mabu

Website

https://mabumabu.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mabu Mabu is an Indigenous-owned Australian food company selling native-ingredient pantry products (Kara Meta), operating Big Esso restaurant at Federation Square, and providing catering services across Melbourne, founded in 2018 by Torres Strait Islander chef Nornie Bero.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Indigenous Food Products

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), All Other Food Manufacturing (31199), Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing (311991)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAIAIAF

Ethnic Spices, Herbs & Seasonings Wholesale

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Distribution & Wholesale/Specialty & Ethnic Foods Wholesale

SECONDARYAFAKAHAG

Ethnic & international prepared meals manufacturing

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Processing & Manufacturing/Prepared Meals, Ready-to-Eat & Convenience Foods Manufacturing

Keywords

• Indigenous food products
• Native Australian ingredients
• Specialty pantry items
• Event catering services
• Indigenous cuisine restaurant

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Products (Kara Meta): Sale of handmade small-batch pantry items including teas, spices, sauces, and specialty cooking kits through e-commerce and wholesale channels.
2. Dining (Big Esso Restaurant): All-day bar and kitchen restaurant at Federation Square, Melbourne serving Indigenous Australian cuisine with native ingredient presentations.
3. Catering Services: Event catering across Metro Melbourne for corporate functions, private events, and large gatherings with custom quotes. Minimum spend $500+GST, 50% deposit for orders over $1000.
4. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale enquiries for Kara Meta product range to be stocked in retail stores.
5. Speaking and Workshops: Founder Nornie Bero offers cooking workshops, presentations, and keynote addresses across Australia and internationally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mabu Mabu produces and sells handmade small-batch native Australian pantry items under the Kara Meta brand, including loose-leaf teas, spices, sauces, specialty cooking kits, and a cookbook. The company also operates Big Esso, an Indigenous-focused all-day bar and kitchen restaurant at Federation Square in Melbourne, and provides catering services for corporate functions and private events across Metro Melbourne.

Product overview

Mabu Mabu operates as a multi-channel Indigenous food business with three core divisions: retail products, catering services, and dining. The flagship retail brand is 'Kara Meta' (meaning 'my home' in Meriam language), offering handmade small-batch pantry items including teas, spices, sauces, and specialty cooking kits. The company also operates Big Esso, an all-day Indigenous bar and kitchen at Federation Square in Melbourne, and provides catering services across Metro Melbourne. Products are sold through the e-commerce store, at the South Melbourne Market, and through wholesale distribution to retail partners. The business was founded in 2018 by Torres Strait Islander chef Nornie Bero with a mission to make Indigenous ingredients the hero of the Australian kitchen.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kara Meta: Handmade small-batch pantry items including teas, spices, sauces, and specialty products. In Meriam language of Mer Island in Torres Strait, Kara Meta means 'my home'.
• Big Esso

Products and services

• Kara Meta Teas - Loose Leaf Tins

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80 employees across retail, catering, and dining departments

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Outback Spirit: Australian native food brand (founded by Bruce Pascoe) producing native-ingredient pantry products and cookbooks. Comparable on native-ingredient pantry range, content/cookbook IP, and DTC-led distribution.
• Native Oz Bushfoods: Australian native ingredients supplier providing native spices, herbs, and bushfoods to consumers and manufacturers. Comparable on native-ingredient pantry assortment and wholesale supply to food manufacturers and retailers.
• Indigiearth: Indigenous-owned Australian company producing native herb, spice, jam and sauce ranges. Closely comparable to Kara Meta in product format (small-batch pantry) and Indigenous ownership-led positioning, with national wholesale and DTC distribution.
• Warndu: Australian native food brand selling native spices, teas, oils, condiments and pantry items online and via retail. Most directly comparable to Mabu Mabu's Kara Meta range on product mix and target consumer, with overlapping Indigenous and native-ingredient positioning.
• The Aussie Superfood Co: Australian native superfood brand selling Kakadu plum, finger lime, Davidson plum and other native ingredients via DTC and retail. Comparable as a native-ingredient consumer brand targeting health-conscious Australian consumers.
• Australian Native Food Co: Australian native food company producing native-ingredient pantry and value-added products. Comparable to Kara Meta on small-batch native pantry positioning and DTC distribution.
• Something Wild: South Australian Indigenous-owned food business supplying native ingredients and game proteins to restaurants and retailers. Comparable to Mabu Mabu on Indigenous provenance, native-ingredient focus, and chef/hospitality customer base.

Broad incumbents

• T2 Tea: Major Australian specialty tea brand (Unilever-owned) with broad tea blends and accessories across retail and foodservice. Comparable on tea manufacturing and retail merchandising, but at materially larger scale and broader (non-Indigenous) positioning.
• Herbie's Spices: Long-established Australian specialty spice company producing and wholesaling a broad range of culinary spices and blends. Comparable on spice manufacturing and wholesale distribution, but mainstream rather than native-ingredient focused.
• Gewürzhaus: Melbourne-based specialty spice retailer selling loose-leaf spices, teas and blends through brick-and-mortar and online. Comparable on specialty spice retail and Melbourne market overlap, but a broader (non-Indigenous) assortment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MabuMabuAus
• Instagraminstagram.com/mabu_mabu_aus/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@mabu_mabu_aus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mabu-mabu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Mabu Mabu