Sister Nefertari Muhammad’s talent expands from the ground to business
by Emmanuel Ali
Everyday Sister Nefertari Muhammad wakes up, she keeps in the back of her mind a powerful quote: “Happiness comes when you overcome the most impossible challenge.” Armed with this, her faith, and her family she works tirelessly on her multiple projects. Nefertari Muhammad is the owner of Queen’s Garden. Her booming businesses and gift of entrepreneurship though had very modest beginnings.
In the year 1999, Sister Nefertari noticed a need in the city of Philadelphia. She started at a flea market in her community with “Past 2 Present,” serving second-hand products and baby items. She worked there for 20 years until one day she received a calling. “They had this beautiful tree out there at the flea market,” she recalls.
“It had these beautiful little flowers that would fall on the ground every year. So, I was out there by myself, and I was sweeping the leaves up and Allah (God)was talking to me and said ‘No! Don’t sweep the leaves up! Sweep it into the dirt!’”
›She began sweeping the leaves every week into the dirt and started to notice a change. One Sunday after attending the mosque, she ran into a sister in the MGT and GCC (Muslim women in the Nation of Islam) who told Sister Nefertari she grew vegetables in Chester, Philadelphia. Sister Nefertari quickly became interested in gardening and asked if she could help and learn from her. She even asked other followers to help in the vegetable garden.
As her knowledge grew, she began to learn about compost and breeding worms. “She had given me some spring mix and I ate the spring mix and I felt the energy through my body,” she gleamed. “I said, oh my God! I have to teach people how to make compost so they can grow their own fruits and vegetables!”
From there, the wheels were set in motion as she started to collect seeds, recyclable materials, and compost materials. She met with a state representative who invited her to talk and teach a class at an adult center twice a week. Sister Nefertari felt she was guided by Allah to be trained for something bigger. She taught at the center for six months until she received other invitations to teach all over the country including Ohio and Georgia.
“I’m an information seeker and I’m so determined to complete my assignment,” she said. “My assignment I believe that God gave me is to become a GMO (genetically modified organism) and compost education specialist. I’ve taken that and turned it into a legit business called Supreme Compost Inc: reconnecting through education.”
Her journey took her to several farms including the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s farm in Michigan. She currently has developed land at 54th and Westminster Ave. called Queen’s Garden that includes fully raised flowerbeds, compost beds and greenhouses where she uses it to teach her class.
Sister Nefertari’s entrepreneurship doesn’t stop there, as she also has a business selling pies. Even through her hardships from finding a bigger kitchen setup to baking an order of a thousand pies, she managed and persevered to keep her business afloat.
How and where does such a woman get her strength from? “Being in the Nation … going through my trials and tribulations … and just studying and paying attention to what the Minister’s saying. Being guided by Allah and learning myself the power of belief. You know my faith is strong, my trust is strong,” she explained.
“I believe in my heart and believe in my spirit and my soul that there is nothing I cannot do without the help of Allah,” said Sister Nefertari.
She also thanks, Sister Melody Muhammad, her children: Benjamin, Bryana, Jasmine, Saliyamah and Sasha and the owner of Brown’s Super Store ShopRite Jeff Brown and staff. “With Allah, beloved, everything I touch turns to gold!”
For more information visit: supremecompost.weebly.com
