Palestinian olive oil sales in UK jump 50% as solidarity grows
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Zaytoun’s sales hit £3.2 million in 2024 as UK consumers turned to Palestinian olive oil and dates, linking fair trade purchases to solidarity with Gaza and the West Bank.
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Israeli occupation forces harass Palestinian villagers, foreign activists, and three European politicians, who joined the villagers on the occasion of the Palestinian olive harvest season, and denied them access to their land in the West Bank town of Qusra, south of Nablus, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP)
A Palestinian food brand has reported a 50% jump in UK sales, reaching £3.2 million in 2024, as consumers turn to its olive oil as a show of solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israeli genocide.
Zaytoun, meaning “olive” in Arabic, is a social enterprise created to bolster the resilience of Palestinian communities through fair trade.
“Buying Palestine’s extra virgin olive oil and medjool dates has given people a tangible way to show support,” Zaytoun’s managing director, Manal Ramadan White, told The Guardian. “They could hold it in their hand and say, I have done this, even if it’s a small act.”
The sharp sales increase, she noted, reflected “people wanting to make a difference with their purchasing power.”
Fairtrade push meets Palestinian obstacles
The annual marketing campaign by the Fairtrade Foundation aims to boost awareness and sales of ethically sourced food and drink, with UK purchases generating £28 million in Fairtrade premiums in 2024. The logo guarantees producers a minimum price and a communal fund for farmers and workers.
But Zaytoun’s olive oil does not carry the Fairtrade mark. Security challenges have prevented inspectors from conducting the checks required for certification.
“We haven’t been able to get Fairtrade organic certified olive oil out of Palestine for almost a year now,” said Ramadan White. “The certifier pulled out at very short notice and without a handover.”
On Thursday, the Fairtrade Foundation and its partners pledged to “raise our voices in solidarity with the people of Gaza and the West Bank whose futures are being deliberately dismantled.”
Its chief executive, Eleanor Harrison, stressed, “We believe that every person has the right to live and work in safety and determine their own future. We stand for fairness, solidarity, and the empowerment of people to decide on their own futures. We cannot remain silent while the foundations of life are being destroyed.”
Olive trees as a symbol of Palestinian resilience
Despite the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and the escalating Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank, Zaytoun continues sourcing the “same” olive oil from small-scale West Bank farmers and hopes a new local auditor will soon be able to certify the latest harvest. The company’s 500ml bottles retail for about £15.
For many, images of Gaza’s devastation seem incompatible with agriculture, yet olive farming remains central to rural Palestine. “The landscape is dotted with olive trees … most families have some whether it’s 20 or thousands,” said Ramadan White.
“The hardiness of the olive tree, what it can withstand, is very much symbolic to Palestinians. It’s a metaphor for their resilience and hardiness through all these challenging times.”
What seemed like an “impossible situation” when Zaytoun began in 2004 as a volunteer-led initiative has only worsened, Ramadan White explained. “But we’ve seen the demand here match that escalation … From 2023 to 2024 we grew by about 50% due to the UK market wanting to show support in some way.”
Initially, many doubted the business’s viability. “The products are really expensive to buy, so there’s not much profit margin,” she said. “The price points are really high here for consumers, so people thought they wouldn’t buy them.”
“It was just an act that then took off thanks to people responding to it. At no point did it feel like a thing that had any kind of longevity,” Ramadan White stressed.
“Yet 21 years later, here we are,” she concluded.
