|
New Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Palestine |
 Coffee, chocolate, tea... and olive oil? It might seem like an odd addition to our line up of fairly traded products, but we believe purchasing high-quality, organic olive oil from small farmer co-operatives in Palestine is highly consistent with our 25 years of trying to build social and economic justice through the marketplace.
Equal Exchange is now sourcing olive oil from two olive grower co-ops in Palestine’s West Bank: Al Zawyeh Agricultural Co-operative and Mis-ha Co-operative for Organic Production and Livestock. Our direct relationship is with PARC, or the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees. PARC is a non-profit, non-governmental organization in the West Bank and is a member of the World Fair Trade Association.
PARC’s projects include: helping olive farmers establish infrastructure and farming techniques to enable them to compete in the olive oil export market; supporting women’s economic empowerment through projects like a couscous co-operative; and improving soil and sustainable growing practices.
So, why Palestine? We pursued this relationship in this part of the world to help farmers with few other options to stay on the land and earn an independent living for themselves and their communities. We believe this is a positive step in a part of the world that faces a multitude of seemingly intractable challenges.
We’re excited about this new venture in Fair Trade and the opportunity to work with small-scale olive growers in Palestine. We’re also excited for you to try our delicious new product that we’ve been taste-testing over the winter. Intensely olive-y and peppery, it’s pleasantly robust with a strong fruit finish.
We hope you’ll start seeing the Equal Exchange Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (a mouthful, isn’t it?) on shelves at natural foods stores this fall. You’ll be getting more information in the months to come. Stay tuned!
Order Olive Oil at our retail web store.
|
Our Co-op 
