Femi
Alexander
Joshua
Text: Eva Breukink
Photography: Studiorootz | Berber van Beek
Femi Meaux (1988) and Joshua Peiliker (1988) have spent the past ten years turning Hofi Cas Cora in Curaçao into a thriving farm, restaurant, and shop—three successful businesses! Now, they want to dedicate all their time and energy to what started it all: growing and selling vegetables.
The focus is once again on promoting locally produced food and reducing waste. Femi and Joshua now have a clearer vision of how they want to achieve this.
Back in 2014, they had some knowledge about vegetable farming, but not much. So they immersed themselves in learning, soaking up advice from others. They searched for information online, listened carefully to local farmers, and tirelessly attended one training and course after another—such as those on permaculture.
“That’s how we learned to farm based on a cycle, with zero waste. Hofi Cas Cora is a circular business. The harvest goes to the restaurant, leftovers are either processed or given to the animals. The manure goes back onto the land.”
Joshua also studied “The Market Gardener” online. From this Canadian expert, he learned about crop rotation—how rotating crops keeps the soil fertile, and how you can plant different vegetables together. Corn, beans, and squash, for example—an ancient method from Central America. The crops support each other, conserving water and space.
“We follow traditional agricultural principles and even consult the moon’s phases before planting or harvesting certain crops.”
From this wealth of knowledge, they carefully selected the methods and techniques they wanted to use. They discovered what works and what doesn’t. Planting sweet potatoes over and over on the same plot isn’t a good idea—it exhausts the soil. So, they started planting a variety of crops side by side and rotating them.
They experimented with seeds. What works, and what doesn’t? Interestingly, they chose imported vegetables like beets, radishes, and leafy greens—and they’ve done well.
In those early years, Femi and Joshua got to know their plantation—where to plant and where not to, for instance.
“Nature is full of surprises. We don’t use chemical pesticides. We look for balance. Insects can devour your crops overnight. Then you just replant elsewhere or try a different approach.”
This has been an intensive crash course in agriculture, hospitality, and entrepreneurship. Every decision and every step is a joint effort. It’s been a rollercoaster ride. Managing three businesses is no small feat!
The combination of farm, restaurant, and shop has laid a strong foundation. Initially, income from The Eatery kept the farm afloat, and during the COVID pandemic, they survived thanks to sales of fruit and vegetable boxes. The model works.
This is truly locally grown produce—processed right away. Harvested crops go straight to the restaurant: sweet potatoes and cassava, for example. Or to the shop. A crate of green tomatoes? Turn them into pickles and sell them as pickled green tomatoes. They’re also used in ready-made meals. It doesn’t get much fresher than this. And all the scraps? They’re a feast for the goats, donkeys, and pigs.
After ten years of learning and experimenting, they’re ready to dream even bigger. Their passion is immense. Joshua wants to share his knowledge and experience with others. In the future, people will be able to see both traditional and modern methods in action. They’ll help out in the fields or take part in workshops. Hofi Cas Cora will become an educational farm for the whole community.
“A farm is still a business. It’s important to work efficiently. We’ve invested in a machine that plants seeds at the right distance and a rotator to till the soil. The time you save can be used for other things.”
The flavor of vegetables, how they grow, when to harvest them, and what you can do with them—Femi loves sharing that story. It energizes her. With these stories, she hopes to inspire others. Because it is possible. You can choose local products and a healthy, conscious lifestyle.
“In our restaurant, we show people what you can do with locally grown vegetables. These aren’t necessarily traditional Curaçaoan dishes. We use local ingredients to give our own twist to internationally known recipes.”
This is true teamwork. That’s the foundation of their success. Femi works alongside the chefs and the enthusiastic staff at Hofi Cas Cora. Together, they prepare ready-made meals for subscribers and run the restaurant and shop.
The farm, restaurant, and shop are solidly established. The business is running smoothly. Femi and Joshua spent a great deal of time and energy on organization, logistics, and admin. It was necessary. But something began to feel off—this wasn’t what they had set out to do. They felt the itch to return to the fields. And now they can.
Now, about one and a half hectares of the plantation are cultivated. They grow vegetables like zucchini, spinach, eggplant, pumpkin, green beans, cassava, corn, tomatoes, and peppers.
Since 2021, Haitian farmer Alexander has worked six days a week in the fields. He does all the hard labor: moving irrigation hoses, sowing, weeding, and harvesting—just like he learned in his home country.
“I think you can harvest faster in Curaçao than in Haiti. Cassava, for example, takes a year there and only six months here.”
Hofi Cas Cora also sources fruits and vegetables from other local farmers. Their big dream is to create a cooperative model for sharing knowledge and resources. Sharing is their strength.
They share their vision—and their land. On one side is the goat farm of Eithel Joubert. Next to that, a foundation supports children with disabilities. In one of the buildings, Farm to Crafts experiments with artisanal uses of farm products.
“All these people and businesses support each other and contribute to our goal of a circular process. The children help the goat farmer, the goat manure goes to the fields, and Farm to Crafts uses fibers from our banana trees.”
This campaign is co-financed by the Ministry of Economic Development (MEO).
