Olives have been grown in the West Bank for centuries. Since Biblical times , the area has been considered by many as the original home of the olives and olive oil. The Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane still contain olive trees that were growing during the time of Christ. Olives therefore have a sacred connection to the Jews, Christians and Moslems , and are blessed and prized with numerous verses in the Torah, Bible and the Quran.
The West Bank is a recognized olive oil producer with distinct quality that has been confirmed in studies done by certified oil tester world wide.
According to recent statistics the olive oil sector involves about 20% of the population with olives returning about 18% of the Gross Domestic Income. Thus olive oil impacts not only the economic but also the social well being of most Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Original olive cultivars are well-suited to the dry land conditions of the West Bank environment and remain the primary source of our olive oil. Olives are grown on about 927,000 dunumms (231,750 acres) of the West Bank land and in 2006 produced about 33,000 Mt of olive oil.
Olive oil from Palestine (the Holly Land) has a unique appeal because of its tested quality and because of the magic associated with the product being from the Holy Land.
Salam’s Olive Oil
Salam is a high quality virgin olive oil . Our olive are from and we are producing in the picturesque Kofor Rai area south of the Jenin District. The area’s climate and landscape offer one of the most favorable environments for olive production as olive tree cultivation favor rocky sites. Olive trees, often referred to as the “tree of eternity”, have existed in Kofor Rai for centuries, with some trees in the area thought to be over 500 years old.
We believe in the importance of empowering rural women, many of whom work as olive pickers and cultivars, to increase their participation in the olive oil sector while improving their skills and organization abilities. We are building a network of strong relationship with farmers to increase their awareness of olive oil farming and its application. We encourage our member farmers to observe Good Agriculture Practices, as harvested olives are pressed within the same day they are picked from the trees. This retains the nutritive, high quality of olive oil produced. We have our own modern pressing plant complete with stainless steel storage tanks and filters to ensure the finest virgin olive oil free of any residue or cholesterol.
We are fully committed to applying HACCP standards and preserve the best conditions for production, harvesting, processing and storage. Our olives are all handpicked and pesticide free. All production practices that may harm the quality of the olive oil are HACCP
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