Kifu Faruq, our founder, grew up in a food co-op community, and learned from a very early age how important collective ownership makes access to healthy food possible. Growing up surrounded by the folks their mother organized with and for created an imprint of interdependence in their mind/body/spirit which prioritizes building authentic relationships, steeped in trust and transparency. 

As Black and brown people, colonized people on colonized lands, it is expected that we may show up to a place scared and without all of the answers. But to believe something can happen that other folks tell you isn’t possible is a sign of our ancestral resilience. Leaning into this vision, Kifu left their work in clinical research and grew an herbal wellness practice. They invested their time and energy in starting CSA’s and backyard gardening projects on land that was owned by folks who often broke agreements to cash in on rising land and housing prices. Kifu shared their connection with nature by organizing group camping, hiking trips, and medicine making workshops. They studied and then shared their understanding of ancient technologies that connect us to Spirit, ourselves, and with one another. Decades of incremental changes brought about a vision.

A belief that we can govern ourselves, we can feed ourselves, we can birth our own babies, we can create and sustain wealth. We can do work that is nourishing. We can get into the flow of the planet's cycles and season changes. We can incorporate ritual into all aspects of our lives. Medicine Bowl is a story of faith.

Today, we reside on 142 acres of land, in Green Mountain North Carolina, on land originally stewarded by the people of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee and Catawba nations. We are learning what it means to create the community and families we wish to see in our world. We are working together to cohabitate and nourish in safe, consensual, honest, true, clear, and trustworthy ways. We are welcoming new members into our community with care and trust building.