Mitsoh is an Indigenous owned Canadian food company that specializes in traditional pemmican, dry meat, and bannock inspired products rooted in Indigenous culture and heritage. Founded in 2018 by Ian Gladue of Alberta’s Bigstone Cree Nation, the brand was inspired by generations of family recipes and the traditional food knowledge passed down by his mother. The name “Mitsoh”, which means “to eat” in Cree, reflects the company’s mission to restore, preserve, and share Indigenous food traditions through clean, protein rich snacks made with authentic ingredients and time honoured methods.
The company’s journey began with a food truck and restaurant called Native Delights, where Gladue introduced Indigenous foods such as bannock to a wider audience. Over time, that vision evolved into Mitsoh, a brand focused on bringing traditional Indigenous staples like pemmican strips and smoked dry meat into the modern marketplace while educating consumers about Indigenous culture, language, and history. Mitsoh emphasizes authenticity, community, and cultural pride, positioning its products as both nutritious snacks and a way to connect people with Indigenous traditions.
Today, Mitsoh has become one of Canada’s most recognized Indigenous owned meat snack brands, offering bison based pemmican and dry meat products inspired by foods that sustained Indigenous peoples for generations. The company continues to grow while staying true to its mission of celebrating Indigenous culture through food, earning a loyal following among consumers seeking natural, high protein snacks with a meaningful cultural story behind them. This Mitsoh pemmican brand name is distributed under the same name Mitsoh, and it is located in Beaumont, Alberta, Treaty Six Territory, Canada.
The first review of Mitsoh will focus on a 0.8 ounce/23 gram bag of their Maple Blueberry Peppered flavoured bison pemmican. This flavor is described as being made with simple, whole food ingredients and crafted to honour traditional pemmican. The bag was purchased at a Healthy Planet store in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Bison, Blueberries, Maple Syrup, Sea Salt, Pepper, Smoke.
The buffalo used is guaranteed to be ethically raised, meaning not administered growth hormones or additional antibiotics. While not confirmed, it is advertised as traditional, the buffalo almost certainly had free range access to graze on grass, and roam about. As a result, the ingredient rating starts at an Excellent (10/10) taste rating.
The only liquid added is healthy local maple syrup.
Some healthy ingredients added are blueberries and black pepper.
The sugar level is a little high at 5 grams of sugar per 28 grams of pemmican to lose a rating, albeit none of it is from white sugar itself. Our preference is 4 grams of sugar or less. The salt level is acceptable at 240mg of salt per 28 grams of pemmican.
This pemmican does qualify to have no sodium nitrite. Instead, sea salt is the main preservative. Admirably, this pemmican does qualify to have no MSG added.
Very Good (9/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
MITSOH – MAPLE BLUEBERRY PEPPERED BISON PEMMICAN STRIP
Written by guest pemmican reviewer Paul Rekker
When I cut open the packaging, I smell a little, maybe vinegar. The strip is large, flat, and rather thick. It is a dark hue and is greasy.
When I bite into the meat stick, I taste salt at a decent level, sweetness at a manageable level, and I am also picking up on the blueberry, it is also at a decent level. The pepper is strong, in a good way, and the garlic is noticeable, but in the background.
Overall, I am enjoying this meat stick. While I like blueberries, I would prefer them NOT in my bison jerky. Many good things about this meat stick, but it is not hitting the “WOW!!” factor, so I am inclined to rate it at a 9/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Maple Blueberry Peppered bison pemmican flavor from Mitsoh: “Thanks Paul for the honest taste review. This will be our first review on authentic pemmican, which uses tallow, although that is not a listed ingredient. I generally agree with everything stated. The maple flavor is at a light level but contributes nicely to the overall flavor. Blueberries are at a mild level, where Paul has no standing in stating that blueberries have no business being in pemmican. As Paul stated, the black pepper is at a good level. There is no garlic for the record.”
“With pemmican being a chopped and formed product, it is harder to detect the natural flavor of bison. However, it is obvious that it is not beef and has a richer flavor. Perhaps even slightly gamey tasting. The overall taste profile is somewhat complex, but the ingredient list is clean and simple. There is a mild smoked flavor in the background. I have no clear complaints about this pemmican, but I agree with Paul that there is no ‘wow’ factor. With Paul at a 9 and myself at an 8, a Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 0.8 ounce/23 gram bag of pemmican was sold for $5.99. That works out to $7.40 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This clear plastic bag has a label affixed to the front and a best before date sticker on the back. There is an illustration of a bison on the front. The bag is vacuum sealed, which is the best way to keep the pemmican fresh tasting.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed are “Elder Approved”, Traditional Bison”, “Gluten Free”, “Soy Free”, “6g Protein”, and “Lightly Peppered”. There is a presumably a Cree syllabic displayed that I am unable to decipher.
The only missing bag category is a blurb about the pemmican or flavour. As per Canadian law, French translations are provided.
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