b'COMPANY PROFILEKekuli Cafe has taken Indigenous bannock mainstream with flavours that range from Skor bannock to maple glaze bannockapplication required her to worksourced from Spirit Bear Coffee Co.,for in future Kekuli owners: We look on the business full-time. I alwaysanother Indigenous-founded businessfor that passion, for sure, and we want wanted to be an entrepreneur, and Ibased in Port Coquitlam, B.C., and allkind, caring people. Thats some-had wanted to run a restaurant sincethe cafes play soundtracks featuringthing you cant train into a person, so it the early 1990s, she says.Indigenous music, which furtherneeds to be there from the beginning. strengthen their Indigenous identity.Bond-Hogg formulated a businessIn particular, Bond-Hogg is committed plan that looked at how bannockTHE FRANCHISE ANGLE to helping Indigenous youth build could work as a base for a rangeFranchising got underway when aviable career paths and to possibly of products and flavours. It was ayoung aspiring entrepreneur namedone day open their own businesses. segment of the food service marketElijah Mack, a member of Nuxalk that had virtually no competitors atNation from Bella Coola, B.C., cameId like to focus on Indigenous youth to the time, she says, which presented ato work at the Merritt location in 2014,open up these Kekulis because this is a unique opportunity. We did up ourwhen it opened. We were treatingway to sustain a lifestyle, their life, their menu focused on Indigenous foods,that store like a franchise. We wantedfamily, she says. It helps in every way. and because every First Nation is soto test how the franchise model would different, you have a lot of Indigenouswork, Bond-Hogg says.The company also looks for a strong foods that are very local to their owninterest in Indigenous culture in its territories. So you can have a lot ofDespite his young agehe was onlystaff and possible future franchisees. variety, and can put a twist on the17 at the timeMack was a quickIf they have the passion, the interest, foods and make them fun and fresh,study and showed natural leadershipand want to learn, or already know Bond-Hogg explains.skills from day one. He just had thea lot about Indigenous people, they heart for Kekuli, Bond-Hogg notes.could be the right fit, says Bond-Hogg. Bond-Hoggs business plan came toHe was always thinking of ways to fruition in 2009, when Kekuli incor- help Kekuli and figure things out. SoLearning about the Indigenous culture porated and opened its first store- we took him under our wing, and he front location in West Kelowna.bought our Merritt store [as a fran- behind the Kekuli brand will always Bannock retains its star status on thechisee] in 2018.be a priority for the company when it cafes menu, in a variety of flavourscomes to its hiring practices. Were that broaden its appealfrom SkorMack, who went on to open a secondthere to ensure that they understand bannock to maple glaze bannockKekuli franchise in Kamloops in 2022,who we are, notes Bond-Hogg. And to Saskatoon bannock. The coffee ispersonifies what Bond-Hogg lookswho we are is Indigenous people. Aboriginal BUSINESS REPORT 35'