Why Buy Fair Trade?

Why should I buy Fair Trade olive oil from Canaan?

Fair trade pays farmers a living wage, protects the environment, gives back to the community and encourages cooperative relationships.  Socially responsible consumers look for fair trade.  Canaan Palestine ensures true producer self-reliance; our farmers gain a dignified living and are eager to demonstrate their capacity as artisan producers to the rest of the world. Canaan Palestine empowers 1800 Palestinian farm families and 200 women producers in 58 village-based cooperatives.  See fair trade practices below.

 

Quality, guaranteed: On top of all the fair trade benefits to the farmer and farming communities of Palestine from buying fair trade olive oil, the consumer has another good reason: quality and taste.  You can be assured with Canaan that we have long term fair trade partnerships with our 1800 farm families.  We know every farmer, and we guarantee every olive is handpicked and pressed that night, and there is nothing but our farmers' olives in Canaan olive oil.  It is real extra-virgin and has won awards in international tastings.

 

 

 

Harvest:  In Palestine, the olive harvest is a family affair. The family gathers and they pick all their trees by hand, pack them in burlap sacks, pile them in the trailer behind the tractor, and take them to the press at night. They pick when the olives are ripe and fruity, but olives must have no blemishes for extra-virgin. Nothing is wasted in Palestine: the farmers first pick up all olives the tree has dropped, and these are pressed separately for soap. Then tarps are laid down to collect the perfect olives from the tree.

 

Fair Trade premiums:  Canaan pays the farmer right at the press, and we pay the prices the PFTA farmer cooperatives have negotiated. Canaan pays an incentive for extra-virgin in addition to  organic and fair trade premiums, totaling about 20% over market price. By paying the farmers at the press for their olive oil, we are putting money directly into the hands of the most needy and they will put it right back into the economy, planting their next crop, putting the addition on their house, educating their children, living their lives. And Canaan olive oil is processed, packaged and finished in Palestine using our fair trade workers, thus sharing the fair trade benefits with more Palestinians.

 

Success:  Canaan is building an independent Palestinian economy. We measure our success and growth on the ground, by the size of the impact and empowerment we create among our producer communities.  And we are successful on the world marketplace - we compete on quality, service, AND social and environmental impact.  This success has a tremendous effect on our Palestinian farmers.  They are proud to compete in the world market based on the high quality of our olive oil as well as our social and environmental impact. 

Visit:  You can come to Palestine, meet our farmers, stay with them, pick their olives, eat with them, and come away committed to fair trade and Palestine.