Gin producers address use of traditional Noongar ingredient

Nuytsia floribunda, or Moodjar trees, are incorporated into rituals and have a conservation status that forbids their destruction.

Cultural teachings dictate that the trees should not be sat beneath, nor its flowers, leaves or branches touched or removed.

Margaret River region-based The West Winds Gin and SouWester Spirits used parts of the tree in gin varieties with Australian flavours and ingredients, available for sale in various outlets and online.

Social media users demanded the two companies apologise for using and profiting from the tree.

"The sacred Moodjar tree is a significant part of Noongar spirituality," wrote Instagram user and Noongar Bibulmun woman, Tanesha.

"I grew up being told not even to sit under it, as we don't want to disturb our ancestors resting.

"Not only are they using a significant plant, when concerned Noongars are reaching out and asking if any Traditional Owners were consulted with or if the proper permissions have been obtained to use this instead of answering they are deleting and blocking Noongar people.

"All while claiming this plant as 'bushtucker' creating a false narrative to continue to profit off our culture."

The producers issued separate statements in the wake of the online backlash, with The West Winds Gin apologising for the misstep.

"With immediate effect, The West Winds Gin distillery will cease to use Christmas Tree seeds in our production process," they said.

"The native Christmas Tree holds a special place in the culture of the Noongar people, who call it the Moojar tree.

"It is only found in the south west corner of WA and has been thriving in the area for about 40 million years and we want to work hard to acknowledge and respect the Country we work on and will continue to educate the West Winds Gin team about Indigenous culture and lore.

"We apologise for distress we have caused."

Margaret River's SouWester Spirits said they appreciated any and all feedback on their products.

"We acknowledge and respect the land upon which our ingredients come from, and in doing so we take pride in doing as much collaboration, conservation and consultation with the growers, suppliers and owners of the ingredients prior to their use," the statement read.

"It has come to our attention that our use of the Essence of the Nyutsia Floribunda flower (also known as Christmas Tree Flower), a native Australian flora, has upset some people on social media platforms.

"We acknowledge this is a sacred tree to the Noongar people of Australia."

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SouWester Spirits said the method of collection of the ingredient demonstrated they did not intend to offend.

"When we infused the essence of the flower in our "Sunset Gin", we did bear that in mind and treated it with the respect it deserves," they said.

"We would like to take this opportunity to advise that we sought legal advice and consulted with the Department of Environment Protection.

"We also researched the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, to ensure this tree was not listed on the threatened flora of Australia.

"We were also aware that the Noongar, on some occasions, used to steep the flower in water, where it was then consumed as a sweet drink.

"In our case, no living tree was touched or interrupted.

"In fact, when we discovered the dying tree on an associate's property, we attempted to bring back to life a dying blossom that was lying on the ground.

"Fortunately, we did revive the blossom.

"With the utmost respect and care, we washed the dried blossom and allowed it to macerate in water to rehydrate the flower and bring it back to life.

"It was the Essence from this water/drink that we infused in a very small batch of the Sunset Gin.

"We are unable to replicate the same conditions under which all the above occurred in this case.

"At this point, this was the only batch created."