A year ago, husband-wife team Clinton and Lozen Schultz took the leap of faith and started their dream food truck business Clinto's Kupmurri.
Clinton says, “Over the last decade or so there's been some deadly Aboriginal people working around the place promoting Aboriginal food, really bringing it into the restaurant space, but I think there's still a gap in hitting the everyday person on the street and that's when I started to look at a food truck.”
A health psychologist by day, Clinton is motivated to help people stay healthy by tapping into traditional Aboriginal foods.
Formerly a professional chef, he's adapted an in-ground style of cooking, known by the Torres Strait Islander word 'Kupmurri'.
Clinton uses a pressure cooker to replicate the process in a food-truck friendly way.
The food truck's namesake and native dish, Kupmurri. Source: SBS
“It's funny the first thing anybody ever asks when it's councils and we're getting approvals for these things is, 'you're not going to dig a hole in our park are you?' and we just laugh,” he says.
The Gamilaroi man serves up native meats like crocodile, emu and kangaroo - all with higher protein and lower fat content than commercial meats.
Instead of the usual seasoning, he uses natural alternatives like saltbush and pepperberry.
“We're really passionate about helping people to understand that these things are edible and that they're very tasty and they're actually really good for ya.”
But the reaction isn't always positive.
Clinto says, “I was at an event recently and there was a young girl that actually said do you really serve crocodile and emu? I said yeah would you like to try some? She pointed at me and she said, "you're disgusting!", which was a bit of a shock. But that comes from a place of no exposure, and I guess that's part of our role is to help people bring that exposure to the forefront.”
When it comes to sourcing native ingredients, Clinton and Lozen aim to use Aboriginal suppliers - or companies that source ethically from Indigenous communities.
Kangaroo, crocodile and emu skewers are another specialty of the food truck's. Source: SBS
Lozen says, “The foods that we use are quite expensive, the native produce. And we've had to create a price point that is in line with what other businesses do to be competitive so people don't shy away, which also means our profit margins are lower.”
But the industry is booming, and Clinto's Kupmurri is in high demand beyond its locality at the Gold Coast.
Clinton & Lozen Schultz, co-founders of Clinto's Kupmurri. Source: SBS
That started to make us think about opportunities for the franchise but I'm not out to make big money for myself, but I think there might be a role there to help support and mentor people in different areas if they want to set up something like this.
For now, Clinton and Lozen are focused on launching a new line of non-alcoholic craft beer, and preparing for next year's Commonwealth Games, taking their uniquely Australian flavours to the world.
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