Tanka Bar company wins innovation award

Pine Ridge Business Wins Innovation Award, Faces Challenges from Fast ExpansionSocial Venture Network (SVN), a national peer-to-peer network of socially responsible entrepreneurs and investors, has selected a business located on the the isolated Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Kyle, South Dakota for one of its six 2011 Innovation Awards.

Native American Natural Food—known for producing the Tanka Bar, among other organic, buffalo-jerky energy bars and meat products—will partner with SVN leaders, who will serve as mentors to the company.

SVN chose Karlene Hunter and Mark Tilsen, owners of Native American Natural Food, for the award because they are “on a mission to heal people and Mother Earth by innovating new food products based on traditional Native American values.”Comment:  For more on the Tanka Bar, see Rez Companies Can't Get Loans and Tanka Bar Company's Goals.

Rez companies can't get loans

An update on Native American Natural Foods, which makes Tanka Bars and other meat products:

Growing Pains Hurt Native American Food Company

By Charles Michael Ray"That's the ongoing joke," Tilsen says. "The good news is sales have increased by 155 percent. And the bad news is sales have increased by 155 percent."

Part of that bad news is that the buffalo hot dogs the company sells have done 12 times better than projected, so now it needs to quickly come up with $80,000 to buy the raw materials needed to fill the new orders.

But in this economy quick access to credit isn't so easy. And Native American Natural Foods faces bigger hurdles than most other small businesses: The land the company headquarters sits on has no value as collateral.

That's because on Indian reservations, tribal lands are held in trust by the government. So the 6,000-square-foot building that is almost paid for doesn't show up on the company's bottom line.

"We literally went to every single lender in western South Dakota that would talk to us," Tilsen says. "I think we met with 11 banks and none of them would even submit the application."Fortunately, the company put together alternative financing:Native American Natural Foods is still operating, but without the help of a government-backed loan. The company combined the resources of several organizations, including a wealthy Minnesota tribe and a community development fund that operates in inner-city Los Angles.

The company managed to pull together a half-million-dollar loan that will allow it to meet the growing demand.Comment:  For more on the Tanka Bar, see Tanka Bar Company's Goals and Tanka Bars Coast to Coast.

Tanka Bar company's goals

A look at Native American Natural Foods, maker of the critically-acclaimed Tanka Bar:

Tasting success

By Barbara SoderlinFor Tilsen and Hunter, that means economic development on the reservations. The two are Pine Ridge Indian Reservation residents and longtime business partners. Together they founded the Lakota Express direct marketing firm years ago and both also have been board members at the Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce.

They want to fight poverty and unemployment among Native Americans in a number of ways: first, through hiring and job training. They now employ 18 people at their Kyle headquarters, some of whom had never worked before and who might otherwise have not seen a way out of poverty. Five others work for the company in other locations, and the actual processing is done at plants the company contracts with.And:They also want to buy from Native Americans where possible. They say today they get 20 percent of their bison from Native producers and hope to increase that further.

Another part of their mission is helping to fight obesity and diabetes that disproportionately plague Native people. People aren’t going to eat low-fat buffalo just because their grandmothers tell them to. It has to taste good and be branded as something cool to do, they said.Comment:  If Blue Corn Comics is ever successful, we'll try to give back to Native communities in similar ways.

For more on the subject, see Tanka Bars Coast to Coast and Review of Tanka Bar.

Below:  "Kelly Hunter prepares a package for shipping at the Tanka Bar headquarters in Kyle on Monday, March 21, 2011. Tanka Bar ships small orders from Kyle to all 50 states. Hunter ships about 30 packages per day." (Aaron Rosenblatt/Journal staff)

Tanka Bars coast to coast

Tanka Bars available nationwideNearly two years after launching its Tanka Bar buffalo and cranberry snack, Native American Natural Foods is fast approaching a big milestone in its short history--coast-to-coast distribution.

The tiny company, based on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, has signed agreements with three major national distributors.

The top two national natural foods distributors, United Natural Foods, Inc. and Tree of Life, and the leading food service distributor, Sysco, will now be distributing Tanka Bars, Tanka Bites and Tanka Dogs. Between them, the three distribution companies represent more than $41 billion in sales in the U.S. food industry.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Chains Add Tanka Bars.

Review of Tanka Bar

I've written about Tanka Bars many times before. They're an excellent example of Native entrepreneurs introducing and marketing a product successfully. Now I've finally eaten one, and I'm here to tell you what it's like.

Its texture is chewy, like that of a granola bar or candy bar. Its flavor is mildly meaty and reminds me a bit of beef jerky or bacon. It's a buffalo/cranberry mix but you can barely taste either component.

In short, the Tanka Bar is good, with a texture and flavor that everyone should enjoy. The bar makes a nice little treat.

I still don't think the Tanka Bar is worth $2.75 or whatever. That's something like 40 cents a bite. I'm not sure any food is worth 40 cents a bite--unless maybe it's chocolate. I can't imagine spending more than a dollar for a 3" bar.

Comment:  For more on the subject, see Tanka Bar Is Editor's Choice, Talking About Tanka Bars, and Tanka Bar is Buffalicious.

P.S. I've had these bars for almost a year. They were in sealed packages in the refrigerator, but they may have lost flavor over time.

The E-Tanka Café

New business on Pine Ridge promotes entrepreneurship and healthy lifestyles

By Katy EisenbraunEntrepreneurship and employment opportunities are sparse on KOTA Territory Indian Reservations. That plays a large role in the high unemployment rate there. But that troubling trend may be turning around.

The E-Tanka Cafe brings more than just healthy food to Kyle. It gives Native American youth the rare opportunity to work on the reservation.And:The Tanka Café offers only healthy food and drinks, which include sports drinks, baked chips and all-buffalo 'Tanka Dogs.' Their low fat menu is part of the Tanka Café project to promote healthy lifestyles and financial growth on the reservation. And if recent statistics are any indicator, their dual objective is a worthy cause.

Almost half of the Pine Ridge population has Diabetes and their unemployment rate is 15 times higher than the national average.Comment:  It's not clear from the article if the cafe's official name is the E-Tanka Café or the Tanka Café. I presume it's the former.

Native American Natural Foods Company, the makers of Tanka Bars and Tanka Dogs, is doing an impressive job of publicizing and extending its brand. It's a good example of how to market Native products to Indians and non-Indians alike.

But subtract one point for the 7.5-inch Tanka Bar image on the company's website. When size is a key attribute, you shouldn't use an image that suggests a product is larger than it is. In reality the Tanka Bar is three inches of foodstuff inside six inches of packaging.

Tanka Bar introduces Tanka Dog

Tanka Bar company to unveil hot dog productNative American Natural Foods, the makers of Tanka Bar, will unveil a new product next week.

The Tanka Dog is a hot dog made from buffalo and wild rice. Initially, it will only be available for food service sales, according to the Tanka Bar blog

The company, which is based on the Pine Ridge Reservation, introduced Tanka Bar, an energy bar made from buffalo meat and cranberries in 2007.

Tanka Bar is editor's choice

Tanka Bar gets national awardThe buffalo-and-cranberry Tanka Bar made by an American Indian-owned company in Kyle has received an editor’s choice award from national magazine The Gourmet Retailer.

The publication focuses on the gourmet and specialty foods industry.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Talking About Tanka Bars and Buffalo Energy Bars.

Chains add Tanka Bars

Tanka Bars Rolling Out to Walgreens, BP Marts, Common Cents A lot more people are going to get a chance to "Taste the Energy" following Native American Natural Foods' announcement today of three new Tanka Bar regional distribution agreements that cover outlets in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

The agreements with Rapid City-based M&B Enterprises, Dakota Distributing Co., and Nebraska's Chadron Wholesale, Inc., will add nearly 1,000 locations to the list of places where people can find the company's signature buffalo and cranberry energy bar.

The new outlets will include Walgreens, Common Cents, MG Oil's gas station-based convenience stores, Albertson's, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Custer State Park, Big Bat's and a host of other convenience stores, groceries, gift and tourism shops, retailers and restaurants.

Prior to the new agreements, Tanka Bars were only available at a handful of area outlets and by mail order.