Our Farms

Community is at the core of everything we do at Kotn—we’ve even been voted B Corporation’s Best for the World™ in their Community category, an honour given to the top 5% of B Corp certified businesses worldwide.

From the start, we decided that in order to build a lasting business we'd have to invest in building lasting communities for those throughout our supply chain. So we started at the root.

Today, we work directly with 5,127 smallholder farmers in the Nile Delta and Faiyum regions of Egypt. Through these relationships, we’ve gained an intimate understanding of these communities’ needs and wants, working with them to serve, honour and invest in their futures.

Explore how below.

(Second to the left) Gamel Abdelwahab, Farmer. “I was born a farmer! My favourite stage of the process is harvesting the crops. Outside of work I love to watch TV. I watch different things depending on my mood—football, different series, a mix!”

Direct Trade

Best known in the coffee & tea industries, direct trade is a way of sourcing raw ingredients straight from the farmers, without the use of the traditional middle people. Buying the raw material ourselves lets us do three things: provide our customers with fair prices that reflect quality instead of a label, provide our farmers with better wages and business practices, and provide transparency into how our partners conduct their business.

Ahmed Abdou, farmer for over 30 years. “I started working on the farms when I was 10, but I was also educated during that time, receiving a diploma in agriculture. My favourite part of farming is being able to feed my community and eat the food that I grow.”

“Outside of work I love to play ping pong and soccer, and hang out at coffee shops with my friends.”

Guaranteed Prices

Cotton, like gold, is a commodity that fluctuates in value. To ensure fair wages for our farmers at all times, we use a guaranteed pricing model to fill in the gaps in the market, providing our farmers with a better rate when the value of cotton drops. In some years, this has equated to 35% above market pay.

Egyptian cotton field, sprouting. Faiyum, Egypt.

Subsidies

When market conditions are difficult for our farmers, we provide them with subsidies like fertilizer and agricultural consultants. These help to lower their operating costs, sometimes up to 30%, and increase their seasonal yields, increasing their overall revenue.

The farmers show up to claim their subsidies with a valid government ID. Many of them never had access to learn to write, so they use their fingerprints in place of a signature.

Abd El Moneim Sayed Motawea, farmer for nearly 40 years. “My favourite part of farming is growing the cotton. I love the planting season. When not on the fields, I love to go on walks on the lake and watch TV.”

Investing in the Future

Among our farming communities' needs and wants, the most prominent ask was quality and accessible education for their children. So we started The ABCs Project. In partnership with a local NGO, with each Kotn order, we donate a portion of the proceeds to fund and build primary schools in the Nile Delta and Faiyum, Egypt. To date: we’ve funded 21 schools and built 19. With your help, we’re well on our way to funding many more.

Explore The ABCs Project

Students at our first school in Arab El Gezira, which opened in 2017. Many of which have been attending for over five years.

Explore Our World

Our Products

Classic, timeless designs, built to last. So you can buy less, and enjoy each piece longer.

Shop Our Collections
Our Supply Chain

Like farm to table, for your clothes. We believe in having traceability from the first seed to the final stitch.

Meet Our Makers
Our Schools

Through The ABCs Project, we’re funding education with every order for the communities that farm our cotton.

Learn How