 Good evening, everybody. Welcome to the farming podcast brought to you by Private Property. My name is Mbali Mokko. As always, your host every Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8pm. I really hope that you've been enjoying the Home Growers Gardening Series here on Private Property. It's so fantastic to get out of the house environment for a change and also be in the open doors showing you physically how to grow your own food at home. So I thoroughly hope that you've been enjoying the conversations with myself and Kat. If you've missed any of the episodes, be sure to watch the episodes here on YouTube on our farming podcast channel on Private Property. And yeah, please continue to interact because we've got fantastic competitions running. If you're hearing noises in the background, please excuse that. I think some of our neighbors where I stay are having maybe a Chinese New Year or something New Year, but you know, there's a lot of fireworks happening in the background. So please excuse the background noise. However, today's conversation is all about ethical food production and maintaining a healthy food lifestyle. And we've got just the right person to talk to us and entrepreneur in the agri-business sector who's got a very interesting name. So today we're joined by Harun Harira, who is the founder of LA Farms, co-founder, sorry, Harun Morira, rather, who's the co-founder of LA Farms. And we're going to talk about ethical food, how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, get to understand what LA Farms is all about and how they view ethical food production and what is it that they do. So if you have any questions for Harun, please do comment, like share, you know, we love engagement here onto the show as always. And like I said, this podcast is for you to help educate and inspire you and also just get you integrated into the agri industry. Well, let's get straight into it. Harun, thank you so much for joining us this evening. How are you doing? I'm good and body. Thank you very much for having me. Thank you. It's fantastic. Harun, I was just saying that, you know, you've got quite an interesting name, LA Farms. If you could just tell us about LA Farms, what does LA Farms stand for? And a bit about your story and your philosophy at LA Farms. Yeah, so LA Farms stands for Look Alive Farms. It's a business that we, that was started effectively by my in-laws many, many, many moons ago. My father-in-law acquired a piece of farmland on the west coast, which borders the ocean, which is quite unique between Feltriff and St. Helena Bay. And he's, you know, he was farming with sheep to start off with, and then cattle, angus cattle, and then in the last couple of years wagyu, as well as other things such as organic fruits and vegetables, you know, and it mainly was for the family. So, yeah, so LA stands for Look Alive Property. Look Alive, you know, we all need to, you know, this, what are the better ways to be than to be looking alive and alert and then looking for, you know, the best way to live our lives. Yeah. Yeah. All right. And, you know, what's your definition of ethical food production? Well, I think simply put, it's ethical food production or farming is very much around a sustainability model where it can be sustainable not only for the farmer, but also for the community and also for the planet. You know, there's a lot about global warming and climate change happening. And, you know, the ethical farming is really an ethical food production and consumption is really being aware about what you're putting in your body and eating at the end of the day and making sure what you're getting is actually from an ethical source. You know, so meaning that fruit or that vegetable or that meat that you're consuming wasn't actually contaminated by pesticides or chemicals and was actually formed ethically, you know, without, you know, for the greater good in mind. Yeah. Yeah. And do you think within LA farms are you adopting such principles? I mean, what's your philosophy around the way you guys farm at LA farms? Well, it's a very good, it's actually quite ironic that I'm on the property need to work here because I'm actually from the property background. So 15 years in property finance. And so, you know, the family was farming in, you know, doing agricultural work, et cetera, on a sustainable basis. But my real, my real turn turning point came about 10 years ago when I ate off the farm. So we had land from the farm, et cetera. And I was just blown away. I couldn't believe the difference that I was tasting in terms of the meat quality, the wholesomeness, you know, the vegetables, et cetera. And that's where my, my, my awakening came. I mean, I'm a guy from Cape Town, you know, I'm in the city. But understanding that real grassroots level of sustainability and of fresh produce made a massive difference in my life. I used to be quite overweight. I used to weigh over 100 kilograms. I mean, I don't exercise that much. And I'm weighing about 80 kgs now. And I've got a healthy lifestyle just because of the way I eat. So, you know, in terms of farming, et cetera, and what does it mean? You know, we've been doing this for many years. I mean, if you think about it, it's what our grandparents and great-grandparents used to do. But because of industrialization and commercialization and the constant need for demand for food and quick food and, you know, the industry has changed, you know, it's put a lot of pressure on farmers to change their practices. But we, we, we were farming for ourselves. So we weren't under those pressures. And so the way we do things is very much, we look at a regenerative farming practices where we look at soil to regenerate the soil and get the soil healthy and then get the vegetation healthy, where you don't need pesticides, where things live in harmony and effectively at LA farms on the West Coast. We've got an ecosystem from, from vegetation to the animals nurturing the fields, et cetera, by eating up weeds and grass and hoping us clean the soil to bees that we have that are naturally there. So we've got beehives, like over 50 beehives on the farm where they pollinate the, the lands. So there's a whole ecosystem that's involved, which is very different to your, to the majority of farming models out there that have originated over the last 30 years. And just to find out, Harin, what is it that you're producing at LA farms? Is it where you be specifically or are the other products that you are producing from the farm? So your wagyu is our flagship. Our focus is on top genetics. Like I said, my father-in-law is, he's very passionate about genetics. So we've got in the top 5% of breed that we breed within wagyu, within the grass-fed Angus, which is a Scottish breed of cattle and very highly regarded as well. And then also free-range lamb. But also beyond that. And this is what people often are surprised here about us because they think we're just about meat and we're not. We are about a balanced lifestyle. So we also do a lot of wheat and barley, which we make from non-GMO seeds, which is highly important. We produce honey. We do wool as well, not commercially, but we sell that the wool off to the co-ops, et cetera, from our sheep. And I mean, there's, like I said, vegetables, which we're not doing commercially yet, vegetables, fruits, fruit orchards, organic. And quite a few other projects that we have underway. Wow. So if I can get it right, your farm, LA Farms, is purely based on primary production. Are there any other value adds that you are offering to your clients at this stage or any processing? Well, we've got a butchery deli and we're an online business. So we have a butchery deli in Weinberg in Cape Town and we supply Cape Town as Willis, Johannesburg and Durban and quite soon some of the other city centres around South Africa. But how we do it is that where I came into the picture was that I had a conversation with my family a couple of years ago and I said, guys, we've got a great product. I back it, I believe in it. And I could taste the difference. And we've got an opportunity to why don't we, I mean, we do this for family and friends already, you know, why don't we create like the value chain and start, you know, really getting from farm to table and controlling that process for our customer. And at that stage, a customer was ourselves and our family and close friends. And that was about three, four years ago. And the business, I think, especially during COVID, people started realising like, hold on, you know, I need to have a good immunity system, you know, and it started looking for ethical and will produce products or foods. So people started coming across us quite a lot. And, you know, we've got the online, so the whole distribution of that product to from farm to table, you know, has been set up quite, I mean, pre-COVID already, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Well, your business model sounds quite interesting and I've got a couple of questions even along that value chain. But before we get to that, I mean, you've mentioned, you know, you've shared your personal journey of where you were a few years back in terms of your health and as to where you are now. Do you find that with the philosophy that you have adopted within LA Farms, a lot of your customers or your clients are really also tasting the difference in the food when they buy your product? And then also, do you also find, do you get questions from your customers asking you, you know, where was this grown? Where was the source? Do you think that consumers are really interested in knowing where their food comes from? Well, to ask you a first question on the taste, we get that often from customers saying there's a real difference in the way it tastes. So people feel liked after they eat consumer food. There's no heaviness on your tummy. You get absorbed. The nutrients is that's because the nutrients get absorbed so much better through your gut, your body. Okay. And then, sorry, your second question, what was that? The second question was also around the consumers. I mean, you've mentioned that consumers are giving you feedback to say, I definitely see the difference because, you know, the food is not sitting heavy in my gut, etc. So after that, just from a consumer's perspective, when you speak to your customers, you know, do you find that they are really interested in where the food comes from and where it was sourced? Or are they just buying because, you know, the food at LA Farms just tastes great? I think that I think that when they actually start to hear the story, they become very interested. And also, I had a customer actually the other day who said to be that, you know, the terroir, our terroir is something to do with our story. And I was like, what do you mean by terroir? And he said, compared to wine making, I mean, we're not in wine making, right? We in production of we grow animals and grain and food and all those things. But that makes that really, really talks to the uniqueness of what we have. I mean, the Cape West Coast is one of the places in the world with the largest array of flora in the world. And also why you get some of the best honey that comes from from in the world comes from the West Coast. So yes, it makes a massive difference in terms of where the food comes from. And when people realize that they got Oh, that makes sense. It's right next to the ocean. Oh, that makes sense, you know. So and also with traceability, it's a massive thing. People want to know where their food comes from. So yeah, I mean, and consciousness around people are is changing, because people are realizing like, you know, they can't just go around consuming whatever and just trust the label or something, they need to trust the farmer, they need to trust the brand. And, and, and, you know, know where their food comes from. Big, big thing that needs to know, like, understand, like, how does this fit into the whole ecosystem of the world in the sense. Yeah. Yeah. And you also mentioned about, you know, the importance of keeping the value chain within LA foods, LA farms. And how has, you know, the the logistic part of your business transformed, especially when you're selling directly to the consumers? Are there any specific processes that you need to, to adhere to maybe a cold chain that you adhere to? So how do the transport processes affect our food as well? So that's a very good question. So food is a very tricky thing. It's not like a shirt that you can, you know, keep on the shelf for two years. So cold chain is a huge thing in terms of how to transport, transport it. So effectively what we, we, we, we, we harvest, we harvest a certified with a certified A grade abattoir. And that comes through then right to our directly to our processing, processing area at our butchery in Weinberg. I mean, we obviously we have cold rooms, etc. We've, you know, all of these things in place. And, you know, when we deliver to customers, we deliver in, you know, if it's, if it's, if it's longer whole travel, meaning more than like an hour or two, then we'll put it into, into, into, into, what do you call it? It's like a cold packs, if I can put it that way. So in boxes that are got cold, that keep keep the product cold. And what we, what we advocate is to eat fresh. So it's only when it's going for very long walls that we may freeze it. Yeah. But we advocate eating fresh, because that's when you get most of the nutrients out of your food. If you're joining us this evening, we're speaking to Haroon Marira, who's the co-founder of LA farms, and we're talking about ethical food production and how to maintain a healthier food lifestyle. So if you are interested in knowing where your food comes from, how farmers, you know, take control of their production processes so that the crop or the product or the food that comes to your plate is has a long shelf life, has a long traceability record, and, you know, is produced ethically. I think this podcast is for you, if you specifically have an interest in this topic tonight. And Haroon, just share a bit of a brief background about how LA farms were started. He is a property professional and who's just migrated into the agri industry, which is always great to have new comers and new entrants into the space. But, you know, he's been with LA farms for about 10 years, and definitely knows a lot about healthy eating and ethical farming. Haroon, I just want to find out, you know, just speaking on sustainability, and ethical practices, etc. You know, and obviously being in the agri space for about a few years now, what do you think the South African landscape looks like around sustainable farming? Do you think farmers are adopting sustainable farming? Do you think are they more open to the way in which they're producing food? Or are they still closed off? Because I can understand that being a commercial farmer, you know, you have to compete with other farms. You want to, you know, get into the shelves of retail, you want to fix the highest price of your product. So do you think that the agri industry is open in the way we are producing food as farmers? Or do you think we're still quite conservative and haven't really adopted the sustainability methods around farming? What's what's your perspective on this? I think that I think that well, the majority of food production is still industrialized in South Africa. I'm not an expert in this field. So I just want to put that out there. Most of the meats and fruits and vegetables that you get are not organic and are not free range and are not grass fed. I think also, I mean, let's be straight from a from a from an economic point of view, it is a more expensive product. You actually need less of it. So over the lifespan of you consuming this way, you're probably going to spend the same amount of money. And then let's not forget the medical bills if you're not eating properly in the first half of your life. Okay, so you add that on because more expensive eating, you know, non free range, non, you know, non organic produce. But I think the the landscape is is pretty much I think it's it's still mostly industrialized. In the sense that, you know, animals are still put into most animals going to feed lots. We don't advocate that at all. So we believe in natural conditioning on an animal like, you know, like they they put on their weight normally, as they should in their lifetime. Whereas the industrial model is that, you know, you put them in less land, you put them to feed lots, you feed them lower quality food, give them antibiotics, and you give them hormones so they can condition quicker and grow quicker. I mean, effectively, it's like taking a 12 year old to get him to play rugby for the first team against 18 year olds in a very good sports place in town. I mean, that's like an analogy. It's unnatural. So the money, listen, it's tough. Business is tough, right? So and the demands from the consumer are high. So I get why the world is moved that way. But I think the door is open and opening more with people becoming more conscious of what they're putting into their bodies and saying, hold on a minute, I want to find those farms. I want to find that farm that produces food holistically, and I'll support that farm. So the door is open for that. And I think over the next 10 to 15 years, you'll definitely see an increase. I mean, if I look at back five years ago, it was like significantly less people doing what we what we're doing now, like there's a lot more. And I think that's great, because what it does is also starts bringing costs down in the grassland and free range pricing. So, you know, where it can become more competitive and more mainstream. Yeah. And tell me, why is free range meet the better option? As opposed to, you know, the normal way of producing so why is free range meet a better option? Yeah, if you could just give us some tips on that. Very, very simple. Think about it. So you've got an animal, you get these two, these two animals, right? The one is sitting in a feedlot. No confined, no space to move has to eat what's put in front of it. It's force fed. It gets antibiotics and hormones to grow quickly. Compared to an animal that's got the freedom to roam freely on on an open field piece of land, consume what it wants to, all right, gets the right type of nutrients in, you know, from from minerals intake, etc. I mean, it's a no brainer, of course, that that animal that that that that produce at the end of the day is going to be healthier and better and taste better and be better for human being to consume. I mean, at the end of the day, you are what you eat. Yeah. Yeah. And is it safe to say that free range meat is more is more expensive? And if it is, why is that so if it's if the animal is grown and is grazing in a natural habitat, so to speak. So that animal rule of thumb that animal is going to take a much longer is going to have a longer life before it gets to the weights that it needs to be where it's mature enough to be harvested. So that's number one, it's going to cost more to to to have that animal walking around, etc. because you have to still provide shelter water, some type of proteins for it, you know, natural foods for it as well. But I think also, you know, the farm to table model, the way I see the farm to table is where you are the farmer, you're taking it direct to the consumer. Okay, so I also need to, you know, speak about farm direct, Yaku Biden most that has put a platform together. So I was doing this already. And then Yaku picked up on what we were doing. And but he was doing this for other farmers. And I think what he's doing is great. So we part of his platform as well. But, you know, the the the the process from farm to table, because if it's governed by the farmer, can be done at a better price. And if they are agents in between, so not saying that agents are not important. But everyone needs a people need to, you know, make them make the money on the way like make margin, etc. So the way we do it is we go direct to the consumer. So we can actually get the free range product at a much better price than other free range and grass feed products out there with a better quality. And that's how we get a right. And how do you track the consumers to just specifically buy from you guys, you know, with your farm, because I'm sure there must be other farmers watching and just thinking, we'd like to go online, we're fed up with, you know, the red tape that we get in the more formalized businesses, whether it's retail, whether it's export markets and just farmers are just saying, you know, let's just sell directly to the consumers because I know as a farmer, I've had consumers saying, we'd like to buy papers directly at your farm, you know, and I've always stuck into that thing to say, maybe the quantities are just too small, because you know, my model is business to business. So just to have one person buying one box or two box of papers might not be sustainable for me. So how are you as a farm ensuring that you're gaining a lot of momentum, and that consumers are buying in bulk or you're getting repeat customers to make the online trade more sustainable for you guys as a business? It's convenient. If something's convenient for your customer, and if you've got a good quality product, if you've got a great product, you've got good convenience, you've got logistics out of it, you've got a business model. And it's difficult to do that. It's not easy. I mean, it's very easy to put a website up. But there's a lot of work behind that. You've got to have all those things done. But the thing is, it's convenience. And I think, and when I say volume, I mean, we read it to be small. We're not a mass producer. But we've got a market that is growing and it's sustainable and we're growing organically. And yeah, for the first, I mean, listen, LA farms have been around for three and a half years. I mean, yes, I've been involved for 10 years with the farm and this and that. But the actual LA farms brand when we started properly was about three and a half years ago. And for the first few years, it was it was tough, you know, and then still today, you know, we have to grow and make it more convenient for the customer, that online experience, that in store experience, et cetera. So and you just have to educate and make more people aware about what you're doing. Because if people don't know about what you're doing, you don't have a business either. So yeah, it's about talking to people. Absolutely. I know before we come to the end of the show, Haroon, I just want to know, what are some of the first steps that one could take to ensuring that they eat more healthy? I mean, you mentioned about your weight loss journey. And just what are some of the first steps that, you know, you could give to somebody watching the podcast tonight, in terms of finding good ways to eat much more healthier? Well, I think the first thing is find ethical suppliers. So find out who does grass feed. I mean, LA farms, we do grass feed beef, we do grass feed angus, which is beef, but it's a very good type of beef. We've got free range lamb, and we got the wagyu, which is, you know, reared effectively on a grass feed basis. It's just not grass feed certified, because we're certified by a different body, the Wagyu Society of South Africa. But the first thing is find ethical suppliers. So and then understand, you know, see how transparent that form is about their practices. And then there's the integrity. So we're we're not talking about integrity. I'm talking about certification. So if someone says they organic, requested certification, if someone says they are low, requested certification, if someone says that they are, you know, grass feed, asked their for the certification, this gives integrity from the farmer right through to the consumer. We've got all of these things in place. And I fought hard to get these things a couple of years ago, because I knew it was going to become important. So that's the first thing. And then just do your research. I mean, you can Google it. If you Google, you know, wagyu or, you know, I mean, this and on our website, L.A. Forms, we talk about the balanced eating, etc. So find, find up, you know, find those ethical suppliers. Don't trust all the marketing out there. Because, you know, a lot of, there's a lot of places that will say, well, I'm speaking from, from, from experience here, I was involved in another, in another interview. And we don't, we don't claim to be organic, because we're not certified organic, but we know we run organic practices. So nowhere will you see that we are organic. But the interviewer then asked me, she said, they actually made the comment to say they found out of 19 farms that audited that found that only two were certified organic. The rest were just talking that they were, but they were doing it just to sell their product. So make sure that what you're buying is what you buy. Yes. And that's your certification. So that's a big one. Yeah, I think you mentioned very critical points that because a lot of people are saying they're organic, simply because they don't use pesticides or, you know, insecticides. And I remember one guest onto the show mentioned that some people say they're organic and then to, to combat pests and diseases that use sunlight, just washing liquid. And we think about it, you know, humans don't consume sunlight just washing liquid. And apologies to name the brand, but rather dishwashing liquid rather, you know, you wouldn't typically consume that. So if you're putting on your crops, why would you then go eat it and then claim that you're organic at the end of the day? So I think these are very, very critical points that you're mentioning, because I think as consumers, if we're misinformed, you know, we'll just be taken for the ride. And yeah, I'm glad that you're mentioning that the person must follow up, contact the company, contact the farm, ask for certification, because that's how you'll know. And being a farmer as well, I know that these certification processes are quite lengthy processes and quite hefty on the on the pocket. So, you know, nobody will just have these things for fake. I mean, if you've got the certifications, trust me, I think people can be rest assured that the business is legit. So yeah, Harin, I think just to sum up our conversation this evening, which has been great, by the way, learning the transition of LA farms and how, you know, you've adopted and come up as a brand. And most importantly, how you're putting the consumer first and health first, which is quite critical. I think this is what I'm purely, purely picking up as your competitive advantage within your farm. I just want to know, so what's next for LA farms? What else would you be producing? Or are you just specifically in the livestock arena? You know, or would you be looking at exporting your wagyu in the next couple of years? Just maybe tell us, what are your future plans? Well, the long and the short of it is that we want to be focused on the South African market. And we are growing, I heard, and I think the first and foremost are focused on the South African market. But our value proposition really is that it's quality and consistency. Those two things, quality and consistency. So that's what we want to offer our customer. And, you know, whether it's in wagyu, whether it's in Angus, CrossFit Angus or Free Range Land. And the second thing is we're constantly innovating. So we started using biodegradable packaging in our meat, which was, to be honest, I don't know if there's any other meat producers doing that. The reason is because the Shelf Life does, it shortens, right? But because we do things made to order, we can do that. And we encourage people to recycle. So we're a sustainability brand. That's really what we are. Okay, yes, we've got Wagyu and yes, we've got CrossFit Angus. Yes, we've got Free Range Land. The things we do pioneering in the packaging, also, we've just launched organically spiced sausage, which is, and I can say this, it's organically, it's certified at Source. So my supplier has given me the organic spicing. I can certified at Source through him. And that's also a first. I mean, virtually no one, I don't know if anyone has done that in the market. So, and I stand to be corrected. So I'm not saying I'm the first to have done it. But what I'm saying is we're doing these things because you know what, it's the right thing to do. You know, we may stumble a little bit, but you know, I believe our consumer stops, recognizes us for being pioneers and recognizes us for being people that a brand is consistent, gives consistency and quality. So and yes, I think other things on the farm, the vegetables as well as the fruits will come through at some point, you know, on a commercial basis. And we've got free range chickens as well. We've got many, many things, not commercial to stage it because remember, we are essentially a family farm. And and, you know, we are growing to make this a viable and, you know, wanting to be part of the the leaders in this industry. So, you know, we're very, very fortunate to have customers that support us along the way on this journey. Absolutely. Thank you so much, Harun, Mariah, for your chat this evening and just learning about LA Farms. And I think you mentioned that your website is lafarms.co.za. That's where people could go on to, you know, check about who you are, the products you're offering and that they could buy online and also on to Farm Direct. Is that correct? That's great. We've recently gone into Farm Direct. So we've got a couple of core items there. Yeah. OK, awesome. Thank you so much for this chat this evening. It was wonderful. Amazing. Thanks, Mbali. Thanks. You're doing a great job and, you know, keep it going for all the farmers and then the guys who want to get retail out to the customers there as well. Absolutely. Thank you so much. If you just missed that conversation, we're speaking to Harun Mariah, who's the co-founder of LA Farms. And we were speaking along the topic of ethical food production as well as how to maintain a healthier food lifestyle. And I think this all ties into the philosophy of LA Farms, you know, about free range beef, wagyu, just raising and growing animals, you know, in its most natural habitat and obviously bringing the ethical production and sustainability model into their practices. And so if you missed this conversation, be sure to catch this specific episode right now on YouTube under the Farming Podcast playlist. And if you want to reach out to Harun, please feel free to go to lafarms.co.z and maybe, you know, contact them and just ask specifically in terms of how they're growing their own food. They're in the Western Cape. So if you're in that region also feel free to go visit them, their farm, if they are accepting any visitors. But yeah, I think it's just great that, you know, we import most importantly know where our food comes from and how farmers are producing the food. And what I like about Harun in his message today is that, you know, if a farmer or a farm is saying we're organic, ask them for their certification. If they're saying they've got gap certificates or, you know, they've got food safe to order to their halal, et cetera, ask them for their certification and make sure that they are certified by the right industries, industry bodies. And I think that's how you would know. And it's just maybe one step that you could take just to knowing if your food is produced ethically or not. Thank you so much for watching the Farming Podcast this evening. It's been fantastic, as always. And I will see you next Tuesday at 8 p.m. Take care.