nîkihk General Manager Kendra Rink and President Neil Sasakamoose pose with the brand's hand sanitizer. (Submitted photo/Alexis Christensen))

By Alison Sandstrom

nîkihk

Strong growth for First Nations company created in response to pandemic

May 7, 2021 | 10:04 AM

Born out of a need to provide critical supplies at a time they weren’t available anywhere else, a First Nation-owned cleaning product company is now filling orders from across the province with no signs of slowing down.

In March 2020, as Saskatchewan and much of the world went into lockdown and shelves emptied of hand sanitizer, bleach and other essential items, Battleford Agency of Tribal Chiefs (BATC) began looking for ways to provide their membership with the life-saving products.

Working with a manufacturer just outside Saskatoon, BATC started producing kits of cleaning supplies and sending them to their seven member First Nations.

“And then from there the idea came, ‘okay, well, what if there was a First Nation’s brand of cleaning supplies and we could change some of the scents and some of the formulas to create something kind of for ourselves,” Kendra Rink, general manager of nîkihk, told paNOW.

Their first product, a plant-based hand sanitizer was released in July.

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More came soon after—a bathroom cleaner with wild rose, sweetgrass-scented hand soap, saskatoon berry dish soap and others.

“The idea just kind of took off from there,” Rink said.

Six of nîkihk’s seven products include scents from plants and herbs that are significant in Plains Cree usage. (Submitted photo)

The word nîkihk, which means “my home” in the Plains Cree language, was selected as the brand name.

The company expanded to supply cleaning kits to other Saskatchewan First Nations, and then to the general public through their online store.

Today nîkihk has five fulltime employees with openings for two more, plus around 15 students working at the company through a BATC training program.

Rink estimates by the end of June, they will have distributed close to 60,000 cleaning supply kits. They’re also fielding requests from retailers who want to stock nîkihk products on their shelves.

“It’s absolutely amazing to be able to walk into a store and see something that was just an idea less than a year ago to be full-fledged as a product with a label on the shelf,” she said.

nîkihk products are produced and packaged in Martensville, Sask. (Submitted photo/Raj Behari)

Three Saskatchewan Tribal Councils have recently ordered 20,000 cleaning kits to give away at vaccination sites in North Battleford, Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

At Prince Albert Grand Council’s clinic at the Senator Allen Bird Memorial Centre, newly vaccinated people are greeted with a box of nîkihk products as they sit down in the waiting area.

“It seemed like the natural way to provide some extra resources to people to help with infection control,” PAGC Director of Health and Social Development Shirly Woods told paNOW.

She added that even though the current focus may be on vaccinations, physical distancing, cleaning, hand sanitizing remain essential.

Atoskewin Success Centre students pack boxes headed for vaccination clinics in North Battleford, Prince Albert and Saskatoon. (Submitted photo/Raj Behari)

And while the end of the pandemic appears to be in sight, nîkihk isn’t going anywhere.

“Currently we’re going through our next rounds of deciding our next product expansion,” explained Rink.

They’re also looking to offer new training opportunities through the company, along with contributing to new Indigenous language and culture programs.

“Since our parent company is a Tribal Council… it’s bigger than just money in a bank somewhere. It’s going back to our communities, which is so rewarding.”

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alison.sandstrom@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alisandstrom