Indigenous Business series: Friendship Catering

The Indigenous business series brings together voices from majority-owned/controlled (51% or more) Indigenous peoples’ businesses that have worked with UBC, sharing their experiences with UBC’s procurement process. The series aims to support supplier diversity and strengthen inclusion of Indigenous businesses in future opportunities at UBC.

Friendship Catering

Friendship Catering is a nonprofit Indigenous catering service that provides high-quality food for events while reinvesting all proceeds into community programs, outreach initiatives, and skills development.

Can you share your experience doing business with UBC?

We have been working with UBC for several years and each event has been a truly rewarding experience. The staff are always so welcoming and are amazing people. We have been honored to provide catering for the Museum of Anthropology (MOA)’s Haida longhouse, The First Nations longhouse, UBC/I-CORD Conference, Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre and so many others on so many occasions.

How has working with UBC impacted your efforts to achieve your business or community goals?

Friendship Catering is a nonprofit; all our earnings are used to fund outreach programs, skills upgrade, community events (our backpack program, Christmas dinner and presents for children, elders programs) and so many other programs and events in the community. UBC, by using Friendship Catering, is helping us become the change we want to see in our communities. 

Do you have any advice for people at UBC who want to work with Indigenous Businesses?

Providing as much lead time for the event as possible especially the larger events. 

What advice would you share with Indigenous businesses interested in working with UBC?

Make yourself known, we started by sending menus via email. UBC is very inclusive and a huge advocate of supporting Indigenous businesses.