Guest Profile

Zion Taddese

Fikrte Zion Arkoh is a restaurant owner, founder of Sheba Farms and Shashemene Holistic Medicine Institute, and active member of I Am Sac Foundation. She has worked in the food industry for over 20 years and has delved into holistic nutrition for several years. She is the ambassador for the growth of Teff grain in California and seeks to make it a global project with the partnership of UC Davis. She also cultivates cannabis and incorporates its benefits into a holistic approach to benefit the population.

Fikrte Zion graduated from Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK with a Bachelor of Arts, in September 1999 with a major in Mathematics and Information Systems. She came from England to the United States in 2004 and hit the ground running ever since, starting her own Ethiopian restaurant. Her efforts in the restaurant have been recognized by Women Business Journal, the Sacramento Bee, and Fox 40 News, to cite a few. She is the founder and CEO of Sheba Farms and Shashemene Holistic Medicine Institute.  

The former focuses on the growth of teff, a gluten-free grain and super-food from Ethiopia with many benefits for healthy eating and digestion support. Sheba Farms partners with the Ethiopian government and UC Davis to sustain the large supply demand from the United States and learn how to grow teff in California on a large-scale basis. Sheba Farms to expand growth and education on teff to a more global spectrum. 

The latter focuses on cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, education, and wellness center. The wellness center focuses on holistic well-being via yoga, education on exercise, healthy eating, and healthy thinking, use of CBD oil, massage therapy, natural spa services, coffee shop, farm-to-fork restaurant, networking space, and gardening.

Zion’s main goal is to use her business experience and skills to gain equity and to positively benefit the community through creating jobs and business opportunities for those deserving people who may not afford it. As a business owner, my sole purpose is to create an environment that helps, which led me to fight for the cannabis equity program.

Zion is involved in her community and spends every moment of her free time to several prominent groups (I Am Sac Event, LLC Partner; I Am Sac Foundation CFO; Blessed Child Neighborhood Association Treasurer).