Meet Zachariah Ben | Owner, Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zachariah Ben and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zachariah, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Bidii Baby Foods was founded during the pandemic. My wife and I found ourselves pregnant with our first child, while also facing severe food insecurity on the Navajo Nation. That motivated us to expand our small family farm and start processing shelf stable, Indigenous baby foods.
My wife has a public health background, so she was motivated to create foods that support early childhood development and nutrition in order to have the greatest impact in curbing chronic health issues later in life.
And, truthfully, beyond the primary goal of creating a socially driven business that would improve health outcomes and food security in our rural, tribal community, entrepreneurship has given us the ability to create a schedule around our children, which are our top priority. It is so critical to develop strong attachment and spend as much time with your children, especially during the early childhood period. Attachment is one of the few things we as parents have control of to stop the impacts of generational and historical trauma. And starting our own business, has provided us with the flexibility to prioritize starting our family and supporting them fully the way we want to–by having them on the farm and involved in aspects of the business alongside us, and homeschool them.
Lastly, a lot of people ask us about the name of the business–what does “Bidii” mean? In Dine Bizaad (the Navajo language), the word “bid” means stomach. And you refer to someone as “Bidii” when they are frequently filling their stomach. It can be used in a joking way, like when you go up for seconds and thirds at the buffet. But we also like to think of it as “abundance”. Because we want locally grown and traditional Indigenous foods to always be plentiful and accessible in early childhood and beyond. That is our organizational mission, and we are reminded of it every day when we feed our own children and community.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have been farming all of my life. I am a 6th generation Navajo farmer, taught by my father, the Indigenous (and inherently regenerative) ways of farming. Farming on tribal trust land can be difficult for a number of reasons. First, the land is technically owned by the US Government, and leased to tribal nations. Therefore, it is difficult to access capital to grow your farm/business (without the ability to leverage any equity out of the tribal trust land). Additionally, we are located in a high elevation desert climate, that requires very strategic regenerative practices to sustain and improve soil health for production. Entrepreneurship, specifically with a hybrid business model (LLC/501c3), has allowed us to leverage capital to grow our farm and production. And support from universities and USDA have improved our skills and access to resources to improve our soil health.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Rural and tribal communities are notorious for having resource limitations. But we’ve always envisioned our farm to be a place of abundance, and a fun environment for locals and visitors alike. We have a playground at the farm, inclusive of a full size play tractor, trampoline and imaginary play areas. We also have a yurt for agritourism in case people want to come volunteer on the farm, learn about the culture, and spend the night. In the town of Shiprock, there are seasonal fairs that draw in so many visitors that there are power and internet outages! Shiprock is most known for the Northern Navajo Fair, which is always the first weekend of October. During the fair, there is a carnival, horticulture exhibit of local farmers, songs and dances, tons of local food vendors, artists and jeweler markets, and yeiibicheii ceremonies.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shout out Denee Bex from Tumbleweed Nutrition. We started our businesses in tandem during the pandemic. Denee is a Navajo Registered Dietitian, who quit working as a clinical dietitian at the Indian Health Service (IHS) to start her own dietetic consulting company. With Denee’s help, we have been able to get many of our Indigenous crops and baby foods into schools and childcare programs throughout the rez and in local border towns. Since we started our businesses at the same time, we have also been through many of the same trials and tribulations, and she has been a good friend to get through the good times and challenging times.

Website: https://www.bidiibabyfoods.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bidiibabyfoods/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bidii-baby-foods-llc/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BidiiBabyFoods

Image Credits
American Ag Credit
Paul Ratje
Save the Children
Mary Ben
Zachariah Ben