Producer

When Mohammed Hannan of Hannan Healthy Foods moved from Bangladesh to the United States in 2008, he was met by the startling realization that he did not have access to healthy, fresh foods. So, started growing his own food. Through the process of finding land and learning how to farm, he discovered that this was not a problem unique to himself: “there are thousands of people in this country suffering from the same issue.”

One of the greatest concerns to Mohammed is the market cost versus the true cost of food. “We talk about Organic, REAL Organic, and other things. But the only way our food can truly be sustainable is if customers are willing to pay the price and appreciate local gold. Otherwise, honestly, it is not sustainable.”

Mohammed started with a quarter plot through New Entry and now operates a 7-acre farm that serves much of the greater Boston area. While he struggles with many of the larger systemic issues that many farmers do – land acquisition, unjustly compensated labor, market limitations – he’s had his fair share of successes. Since opening Hannan Healthy Foods, Mohammed has been able to grow and introduce consumers to a variety of Southeast Asian crops that are not typically grown in this region, and he plans to increase his growing list to over 50 foods. When not farming, Mohammed works full-time at Harvard Medical School. According to him, perhaps this is why he takes his farm’s motto from Hippocrates of the Hippocratic oath: “let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”

We use sustainable organic farming practices. We only use materials approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for pest control and fertility management. We do not use any synthetic chemicals in our operation.