Welcome to New Time
Each week we bring you new articles and opinions from people working in the orgo-eco-ethical sector
Guest Contributors
Articles:
Home . Contact Us . Living Ethically
A powerful symbol of hope for Palestine
Kathryn McCann finds out how a small non-profit organisation started by two young English women is bringing hope to the people of Palestine
A few weeks ago I went to a land warming party on a beautiful piece of Welsh woodland. Caz Phillips, a good friend from my environmental course – now a natural builder, arboriculturalist and teacher – had recently clubbed together with three others to buy it and turn it into an ecological education centre.
One of my fellow guests was an equally inspiring lady – Heather Gardner of Zaytoun. Sitting round a campfire enjoying a delicious potato dish she’d created, loaded with chillies, garlic and luscious Palestinian olive oil, she told me her story.
Palestine is the home of the olive tree. Ancient olive groves dominate the agricultural landscape and are passed down from generation to generation. The fruit they yield is an economic lifeline and a potent symbol of the connection of Palestinians to their land. Over half the Palestinian population depend on olive oil for their livelihood.
Harvest time in Burqa, Palestine
Heather and her colleague Cathi Davis came up with the idea of Zaytoun (‘olive’ in Arabic) in the summer of 2003, both having visited Palestine as volunteers.
Separately they’d recognised the importance of olive oil to the Palestinian culture and wondered how that could be used to help improve the dire situation of the people. Back in the UK they met through the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Together they realised that the answer could lie in finding a way for the Palestinian olive oil producers to access the British fair trade market, so they joined forces to make it happen.
They didn’t know how to begin. But, inspired by their belief that this idea could make a real difference, they began emailing Palestinian support groups in the UK as well organisations like the Stop the War Coalition and the Permaculture Association, inviting them to pay up front for orders of high quality first cold pressing olive oil to generate funds to start importing it. Within six weeks they’d raised £15,000.
Their first shipment of 100 litres of oil arrived in January 2004. By January 2006 they were selling 3,000 litres a month!
Zaytoun relies on an extensive network of voluntary distributors, who sell its fairly traded, pesticide-free olive oil direct to consumers. It also supplies shops, restaurants and other organisations on a wholesale basis. Coincidentally these include the Olive Co-Operative, of which fellow Newtime contributor Sarah Irving is a director.
Set up as a non-profit organisation, Zaytoun invests in empowering Palestinian farming communities and helping develop their agricultural infrastructure. Heather and Cathi still only allow themselves two days’ pay a week.
The challenges are far from over. The Israeli occupation of Palestine means that Zaytoun’s producers must rely on the occupiers to get their oil out of the country. This inevitably leads to long delays and price increases. And the worsening political climate brings a new hurdle to overcome every day.
But thanks to Heather and Cathi, the traditional olive farming communities of Palestine are able to preserve their dignity and hope for the future.
If you’d like to buy Zaytoun olive oil you can find a stockist near you here. Or if you’re interested in becoming a distributor yourself you can find out more here.
© Kathryn McCann 2006
Kathryn McCann is a freelance writer and editor with a particular interest in ethical and environmental issues.
Her client list includes Bill Dunster architects (the eco-architecture practice behind BedZED), TReeS (an Anglo-Peruvian charity that works to protect the rainforests of southeast Peru) and IT Power (a renewable energy consultancy that works across the developing world).
She also helps companies promote their efforts towards corporate social responsibility.
To find out more visit www.katcreative.co.uk or email her at kathryn@katcreative.co.uk.
