Our Philosophy: Native First, Local Second

Native American Peoples have a long, sacred, direct, and intentional relationship with food. At Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace, we believe that, as Americans, we should support the original, authentic foods from nature, which also means supporting the First Peoples. As part of the Osage Nation, we try to educate people on Indigenous culture through delicious food supplied by other Native Americans. This is how our philosophy of Native First, Local Second was adopted.

Native First, Local Second

When Covid struck, we found it was the perfect opportunity to move forward with our dream of creating a centralized platform that reduced the barriers and made Native and Indigenous foods accessible nationwide. A place where you could get our special blends of rubs we use in our restaurants, tender meat from our bison supplier, and your choice of original foods from Indigenous partners from around the country.

We wanted to not only make Native American food more accessible but support Indigenous suppliers as well. Throughout the 14 years of Tocabe and now Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace, we have adhered to a philosophy of Native First, Local Second.

By utilizing Native food producers, we can stay true to our Native American foods while supporting Indigenous communities. It is our vision to connect Native & Indigenous food systems with every household to make sure all peoples have access to foods that are farmed, ranched, fished, harvested, and crafted by Native caretakers, nourishing our communities from seed to soul.

On our website, you can find stories about each of our partners, where they are from, and what products they produce. We are as proud of our relationships with our partners as we are of the foods we share with our customers.

Getting Native Food to You

To keep matters simple, we've cut out the middleman. We've looked long and hard to find Native caretakers of First foods that can easily be shipped anywhere within the United States.

Buying products from our store is more than just buying a few groceries. It actively supports food production for hard-to-acquire foods. Many of our products are heirloom varieties, so every purchase you make helps make the crops more sustainable.

We've made it our mission to create accessibility to Native foods that are not readily available.

What is Indigenous Food?

Indigenous food has been passed down through generations of Indigenous and Native American people. Thousands of years of meticulous care have gone into preserving the foods of the First Peoples.

These foods have been kept alive through Indigenous Peoples' sacred respect and determination.

How You Can Make an Impact

Buying from the Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace creates a cyclical event that benefits everyone. You can purchase distinctive products you probably won't find in your local store from us, and we, in turn, buy these delicious Indigenous foods directly from sources you might not have known existed.

While it may not be your community, your purchase makes a significant impact. You should be comforted to know that every purchase makes an immediate impression on the communities of the Native American and Indigenous producers we buy from, helping to create a self determinate Indigenous food system.

At Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace, we make it easy to buy Native American food and support Indigenous food systems. A self-determinate Native and Indigenous food system is just one more reason for our Native First, Local Second philosophy.

We simplify the sourcing of Native foods so you can rest assured you are getting premium products from Indigenous and Native American producers. But it doesn't stop there. With each purchase you make, you not only support our partners and us, but you're also giving back to the community.

We will donate one item to Native and Indigenous community-based organizations for every two items purchased. When you buy an assorted 12-item box, we will donate a 6-item box to an individual or community of our choice. For bulk orders, we give back to communities 50% of the total order.

It just makes sense to buy Native first.

Your support matters. It helps keep original foods in circulation, Indigenous producers in business and lends support to Native American communities countrywide; besides, the food tastes great. So place your order today!