Nouara Ain Lahjar Cooperative · The Founder
Hafida Ait Issa
A woman whose love for Tetouan’s land turned its plants into natural and sustainable products
Hafida Ait Issa founded the Nouara Ain Lahjar Agricultural Cooperative in the rural commune of Ben Karish, Tetouan province, in 2011 The cooperative specializes in the cultivation and valorization of medicinal and aromatic plants
The region's land was known for its fertility, but local women had no structured way to bring their produce to market, crops would often go to waste simply because there was nowhere to send them Hafida recognized this not as a limitation of the land, but as a failure of the system around it She started with an association that later became a cooperative, employing 28 women directly and working with many more who farm their own land as partners
Developing the Land
Hafida converted land that sat largely idle into cultivated farms of aromatic and medicinal plants She also extended the cooperative's work into saffron and argan, two crops that had no established presence in the region at the time, and whose introduction required both conviction and technical expertise
The saffron experiment proved its value Hafida’s cooperative saffron became competitive with production from Morocco’s established saffron regions, a result few would have expected from Tetouan at the beginning Alongside this, she developed methods to preserve the nutritional properties of plants over time, giving the cooperative the ability to offer consistent quality at competitive prices
The demand for our products is strong, both in Morocco and abroad We receive requests to expand our range and make better use of what the region grows
Building the Cooperative
The cooperative produces a wide range of goods from the plants grown in and around Ben Karish: verbena, mint, orange blossom, lavender, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and others These are processed into essential oils, floral waters, natural cosmetics, vinegars, teas, spices, and food products
The goal is to valorize local products, increase yields, create added value, and improve the living conditions of the women involved
When Nouara Ain Lahjar Cooperative was established as a permanent cooperative marketplace in Tetouan, Hafida was the natural person to lead it She was not new to this world, she had been at its center from the beginning She built a cooperative from the ground up and lived firsthand what producers face when there is no outlet and effort goes unseen Managing the market was a natural continuation of everything that came before
Training and Knowledge
Before founding the cooperative, Hafida spent years in Italy, where she saw firsthand the commercial and agricultural value medicinal and aromatic plants can have when they are properly understood and processed When she returned to Morocco, she completed field training and specialized courses in plant cultivation, oil extraction, and distillation, both in Morocco and abroad
This foundation shaped how the cooperative works at every stage Products are made with a working knowledge of the plants themselves, their active properties, the conditions they need, how to extract what matters, and how to ensure that quality holds through processing and storage
Her time in Italy was not a pause on the sidelines It was the moment she understood that what grew in Ben Karish had real commercial value, and that what was missing was the knowledge and structure to bring that value forward
What Comes Next
Hafida Ait Issa has received recognition for her work in Morocco and internationally Her focus now is on expanding the cooperative's capacity, drawing more women into the work, and developing the region's natural products for both local and international audiences
The cooperative's products reach customers through its own premises, affiliated shops, and premium retail markets, built on a decade of consistent quality and a reputation that was earned, not announced
We want to expand what we do, support more women, develop their skills, and show what this region is capable of producing
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