This Hydroponic Farm Also Sells Matcha

Near 10th of Ramadan City on the edge of Cairo, a brother-and-sister farm is supplying restaurants and hotels with sustainably grown produce, using hydroponics. “We started Miyāh in 2023,” Ahd Islam tells SceneEats. “The land wasn’t something we inherited. We searched for the right spot for a long time, and then began building the greenhouse from scratch.”

Ahd and her brother Aly found a plot 10 feddans in size, and built the greenhouse on a portion of it. “The yield of hydroponics is about ten times that of normal agriculture,” Ahd explains, owing to the higher density of plants and the quicker growing times. Hydroponics, which is a soil-free method of cultivation, circulates nutrient-infused water through pipes to irrigate rows of plants in a more controlled environment. Ahd and Aly had no background in engineering or agriculture; to setup the system, they sourced the equipment from abroad and consulted a hydroponics engineer.
“I’m originally an AUC graduate in integrated marketing communications,” says Ahd, “but I took an elective in hydroponics during university and ever since then I was hooked. I’ve always wanted to be a part of F&B, not through opening my own restaurant but in a different way. Because of climate change, I thought it would be nice to start our own sustainable farm.”

As a boutique agricultural enterprise, Miyāh deals mainly in B2B. They began first with just three kinds of leafy greens, but now they have over 18 different types of plants, from edible flowers to purple kale to red oakleaf to exotic tomatoes and peppers. But there’s another side to Miyāh, one that is just as green and, depending on who you ask, just as delicious: matcha.“Good quality matcha is very scarce in Egypt,” says Ahd, who is a huge fan of the Japanese beverage. “Our clients wanted us to expand the basket of products we offered, and we thought it was a great opportunity, especially since matcha is now a staple. Many people have already substituted the coffee in their lives with matcha.”

While the hydroponics side of the business and the matcha side do not overlap operations-wise, it was the farm that gave Ahd and Aly the idea, and the demand. “Our clients trusted us, and that’s what pushed us to expand into matcha.”

The brother-sister duo travelled to Japan in January 2025, traveling to farms across the country and researching matcha in-depth. They visited farms, attended tea ceremonies, and witnessed the entirety of the process from cultivation to when it was finally served. “We did focus groups and rounds and rounds of tasting, searching for what was most suitable to the Egyptian palette.” According to Ahd, the subjectivity in the taste of matcha is one of the biggest challenges in working with it.They returned to Egypt having sourced not just boxes or crates, but containers’ worth of the green powder. “We began experimenting with different recipes at home, doing rounds and rounds of tastings and getting feedback from family and friends, and then offering our recipes to clients as a white label.” More than just a supplier, Ahd and Aly see themselves as ‘matcha consultants’; they offer barista training services, recipe development, and menu engineering.

Last Ramadan, for example, Miyāh collaborated with Cult to create Matcha-infused desserts. “It’s very dynamic, we don’t just sell the powder. We try to make it as conceptual as possible.” But for customers who want to make their own matcha at home, they also do just sell the powder.
Through Miyāh’s website, you’ll find ceremonial grade matcha available in 30 gram, 50 gram, and 90 gram quantities. Miyāh also sells matcha kits, complete with a whisk, strainer, bamboo spoon and instruction card. “The kits have been selling out like crazy,” Ahd says. “They’re very sensory and ceremonial at the same time, and make for a great housewarming or birthday gift.”While the brother and sister duo continue streamlining the hydroponic side of things (with plans to host tours and visits of the farm in the future), the matcha side is where there’s currently the most buzz: they’ll soon be introducing Hojicha to the Egyptian market, and an exciting new partnership with Daily Dose for a limited-edition menu this summer.