Born out of necessity during the pandemic, an Indigenous Sask. cleaning supply company looks beyond COVID-19
The president of a new Indigenous soap and cleaning product company says he hopes consumers across Saskatchewan and beyond will switch brands and make Nikihk products regular staples in their homes.
“We think there’s going to be more production. We think it’s going to go into a national product,” said Nikihk company president Neil Sasakamoose.
Nikihk is a cree word for “my home” and the name of a cleaning company founded by the Battleford Agency of Tribal Chiefs on behalf of seven first nations, less than a year ago.
Neil Sasakamoose says First Nations in the North Battleford area couldn’t find sanitation supplies to buy in the first part of the Covid-19 pandemic. This led the Battleford Agency of Tribal Chiefs to source their own supplies and eventually led them to form a company to create their own brand of hand sanitizer complete with sweet grass scent.
“We thought narrowly at first. We thought we are just providing our own households on reserves an opportunity to be safe during the pandemic, but now this is a great opportunity,” said Sasakamoose.
To date, the company has has manufactured 70,000 Nikihk sample packages. They consist of seven products such as sanitizer, hand lotion, dish soap, kitsch degreaser and bathroom cleaner.
The Nikihk sample kits are being distributed to all people who get a Covid-19 vaccination at one of the urban Indigenous Covid-19 vaccination centres in Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert.
Some of the funding for the Covid-19 kits was provided by Indigenous Services Canada and serves partially as a reconciliation gift, says Sasakamoose.
About 20,000 kits have been given out at vaccine clinics to members of the public like Harneet Kaur.
“If they started a new businesses, it’s good for them to give the free samples and so if people like it they will obviously purchase it for themselves,” said Kaur.
The kit includes a survey card asking people to try the product and email them back a photo of the paper survey.
“Now this is a great marketing opportunity for us. People are picking it up now. It’s in demand,” said Sasakamoose.
The Sobey’s grocery store in Preston Crossing became the first major retailer to sell Nikihk products in its store.
“There’s been many calls from companies across Canada that would like to carry an Indigenous product like Nikihk,” Sasakamoose said.
The company’s production plant is located in Cormand Industrial Park North of Saskatoon, SK.
Twenty people work full time with the company. The number of employees rises to about 50 during peak production and distribution.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.