Noor Awad is the brilliant mind behind Homegrown, the social enterprise that helps support small-scale Palestinian farmers cultivating olive trees, and sources their produce in a bid to shed light on their stories, and in turn, help sustain their olive groves. For the time being, Homegrown is only selling olives and olive oil, but she also hopes to expand the platform and support other Palestinian talents, to reinvest in a positive way, while also connecting the Arab diaspora to their heritage.
In Palestine, the harvesting of olives is a tradition passed down through generations; one that is symbolic of community and heritage. Homegrown sources its olive oil from the village of Kharbatha, located outside of Ramallah. The oil is naturally organic and pressed from hand-picked olives from the season’s olive harvest.
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Tanya knew that Palestine was her symbolic homeland. Always curious about her identity and connecting with her roots, she was eager to strengthen her ties to the Levant and traveled the region, desperate to learn more. It wasn’t until her first trip to Palestine that she became spiritually and emotionally connected.
She studied Political Science and Sociology at the University of Toronto. She then moved to the UAE, supporting numerous NGOs related to children’s welfare in the region. When she had her own family, she created the My Olive Roots platform in the hopes that her children and the Arabs diaspora would have a place to connect, learn and preserve their roots. Tanya enjoys discovering humanist stories and exploring the connection of food and art with culture.
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