Sara’s Organic Food El Gouna
Sara’s Organic Food El Gouna and Lara’s Premium Produce hits El Gouna! So, like everyone else I started the year with a New Year, New Me attitude and while search online for ideas how to achieve that I stumbled on a company that really caught my eye, Sara’s Organic Food, it was actually their mission statement that grabbed me, there was something so raw and honest about it so you can imagine my excitement when I learned that this amazing produce is now available in our very own El Gouna Bestway.
The more I read about the company the more I fell in love with their ethos and concept. “Our farm is an old piece of land with a new destiny. It is a vast stretch of desert turned into fertile land, nourished by rich natural aquifers below the surface. We grow our produce according to international organic standards and place high value on the quality of our soil, which we nurture by applying nutrient rich organic compost. This way we ensure that our produce is of the highest quality and optimal taste. We provide a safe environment for the people that work with us, and the food we produce. Farming in accordance with organic standards has benefits for our health, the welfare of animals and the state of our environment. We protect what we cherish – the soil that we live from and the biodiversity of our environment, the people that we work with, and ultimately, the people that consume our produce. To produce food that is safe and clean is a privilege to us.”
I managed to track down the phenomenal woman behind Sara’s Organic Food El Gouna, Swiss born Sara- K. Hannig Nour, and was even more amazed to learn that she has recently become an El Gouna resident. Curiosity got the better of me and I arranged a meeting with the infamous Sara in a bid to learn more about the company and how it could help to transform me and my family’s eating and better still our lives.
Sara came to Egypt in 2010 leaving behind her family of Swiss farmers, farming had always been in her blood, farming, gardening, organic produce was a passion of hers. When she first came to Egypt she struggled to find organic and healthy food for herself and her family, it was her dream to find quality organic food in Egypt. Luckily there was some old farming land in the family that wasn’t doing anything with so she started her own project of organic cultivation, she saw a gap in the market and she realised that there was a real opportunity to turn her dream into a reality. She started first with cucumbers and sold them at a local market, there was lots of interest in what she was doing so she slowly started expanding to mangos, pomegranates and grapes and from then Sara’s Organic Food was born.
The main brand is Sara’s Organic Food El Gouna, fruits and vegetables that are EU organic certified yearly and grown with love and care on their own farm however in the past five years Sara has grown the business and expanded to include their sister brand Lara’s Premium Produce which is produce from trusted neighbouring farms that do not use pesticides or chemicals but are not necessarily EU organically certified.
Sara’s most recent addition to her company is ‘Sara & Lara’s Baskets’. They choose only the freshest most nutritious vegetables, fruits and herbs, place them in a big basket, which they bring to your doorstep every week. They only send food when it’s in season and they only send what is fresh. The basket is a mix of organic and natural produce from both Sara’s Organic Food El Gouna and Lara’s Premium Produce. The baskets are made by workers in the Monufia in the north part of Egypt in the Nile Delta which created an opportunity for the worker to start their own business and create jobs for people in the village. The baskets themselves are totally natural and are reusable! Theoretically you could just pay for a basket one time, return the old undamaged basket with your new delivery and they deduct the basket charge from your new bill however if you want to keep your baskets that is fine too (they have thousands of uses!) and you will be supporting the growth of local businesses. They are trying to give their customers the opportunity to eat good, natural, fresh and in season produce. At the moment, these baskets are available for delivery in Cairo and Alexandria however luckily, they will soon be available in El Gouna and the website is currently being updated to give you more choices and options to personalise your basket selection.
The farm is located on the Alexandrian Desert Road between Cairo and Alexandria and it’s a self-sufficient circle of energy, everything is reused and recycled. There is live stock on the farm that were rescued from an animal sanctuary that was closing and they eat the scraps from the farm ensuring that they are healthy and eating chemical free food they then produce natural chemical free manure that’s used to fertilise the crops and the cycle goes round and round. Visitors are encouraged to visit the farm to help bring the farm closer to the people, they say know your food, know your farmer. There is a visitor’s centre, a picnic area and a creative playground for kids, animals and it’s a great opportunity to learn about organic produce and why it’s important to eat food made in the right way.
Sara moved her family to El Gouna from Cairo, in November 2016, as she felt it was a healthier and more natural environment to bring up her two children and she has made it her mission to introduce her healthy lifestyle choices to the local residents and help them learn to fuel their bodies naturally. Ironically living in El Gouna she has more time to focus on developing her businesses as she saves hours by not sitting in the smoggy Cairo traffic. Perhaps this extra time, focus and positive El Gouna energy is part of the reason that Sara and Lara’s baskets have been selected as one of the three finalists for the MENA region in the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards and Sara will be competing and presenting a final pitch in Singapore in April to win the prestigious title as well as 100000 usd to invest in her company. I think you will join us at El Gouna Homes in wishing Sara lots of luck for April.
Sara’s Organic Food El Gouna amazing products can be purchased from a number of gourmet retailers in Egypt and luckily more locally from Bestway. To find out more and to follow their progress check out their website, Facebook and Instagram.
Farm phone number: +2 010 189 446 99
www.facebook.com/DesertLakeFarms
instagram.com/sarasorganicfood
