Words stick with us.
They have the profound ability to draw us in, draw us near and in times of crises, turn our minds clear. They are the foundation for what is to come. The fertilizer from which magnificent ideas can grow. They can be spoken in the moment and digested for the spirit or used as a compass for our ambitions to set sail. It doesn’t matter if they’re a millennia old or whispered into waiting ears, their effects remain the same. And for one group of Kenyan farmers, a particular set of words has driven them each day, their meaning offering countless interpretations.
Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.
Once spoken by Hippocrates, this phrase has been the driving force behind the founders of Daillies Organic in Kenya since 2014. Proud owners of two certified organic farms across the country, Daillies Organic were first inspired in their pursuit of organic produce when they found themselves dismayed by the lack of clean spices to match the incredible abundance of organic food grown in their country. Realizing the potential in the fertile lands, and motivated by a wish to see change, they got to work. Starting off wasn’t easy for the small group of dedicated farmers, as the lands they chose to grow their produce on yielded substandard results, but instead of trying their luck with a below-par product, they decided instead to continue searching, eventually striking gold on the Kenyan Coast before doubling their luck almost 500km away beneath the snow-covered caps of Mt. Kenya. The differences in these two locations couldn’t be more different, as the coast - with its heat, humidity and rainfall - is ideal for the growing of their small batch spices. While the colder, volcanic conditions found beneath Mt. Kenya act as the life support for Daillies Organic’s towering macadamia trees.And ever since arriving at their two homes across Kenya, Daillies Organic have been redefining what it means for food to be thy medicine, as on top of their already valiant efforts to supply Kenya with the cleanest produce possible, they are also growing two hundred neem trees to manage the carbon cycle. Their impact on the community also extends to the local economy, as their two farms supply communities with steady jobs and income that, without their organic farm, would not be available. They also support youth groups, affording children the chance to learn cricket in an effort to keep them off the streets. Daillies Organic have redefined food as not only medicine, but community, and the ability to make a difference for years to come.
