Canaan Palestine: The Olive Oil Preserving Tradition and Empowering Farmers

Olive oil sits at the centre of Palestinian cuisine — and for Canaan Palestine, it has grown into one of its most important exports.

Founded by anthropologist Dr Nasser Abufarha, Canaan Palestine works with over 2,000 farmers across 52 villages to, as he puts it, “create a bridge between Palestine and the rest of the world,” and its olive oil is now sold through more than 6,000 retailers, including Whole Foods, the Zaytoun brand in the UK, Erewhon in Los Angeles, and stores in Sweden, Japan, Korea, Dubai, and Germany.

That global reach is built around two primary olive oil varieties under the company’s oversight: Suri, named after the town of Sur in Lebanon, and Nabali, named after Nablus in the occupied West Bank.