Canaan Fair Trade - a Palestinian producer and supplier of olive oil and other delicacies produced by over 1,700 small farmers in the West Bank - recently hosted a festival marking the end of the harvest season, as well as the grand opening of its recently constructed factory and processing facility nestled on five acres of land in the heart of olive country in the village of Burqin, near Jenin.

The facility - which covers over 32,000 square feet and houses a state-of-the-art Italian-made olive press - is designed to become both the organization's head- quarters, as well as a tourist attraction.

The project cost an estimated $2.5 million, making it the largest fair-trade investment in the region.

Visitors are invited to join guided tours illustrating the production process from start to finish, and can purchase finished products in a spacious boutique.

Canaan Fair Trade's products - including organic fair trade olive oil, honey, tahini, couscous, and za'atar - are produced by over 1,700 farmers from across the West Bank, who are organized in informal cooperatives and represented by the Palestine Fair Trade Association.

Canaan exports its products to retailers and distributors in Europe, North America, and the Middle East, and also supplies 90% of the organic olive oil used by the U.S. company Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap.

The IMEU presents a series of photos of Canaan's stunning new facility and the festival, as well as a summary of the events from Canaan's U.S. Sales Coordinator, Diane Adkin.

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Canaan's Harvest Festival and new showroom

The main olive press room at Canaan's new facility contains the most advanced and modern technology available. (Amanda Nunn)

"The festival was a huge success - over 2000 farmers, international customers and visitors came to the wonderful Haddad Village site outside of Jenin to celebrate the harvest. Every family got our 2008 Jaru'a poster with a Sliman Mansour print to take home.

They heard from representatives of some of our 35 farming co-operatives, Canaan Director Nasser Abufarha, and some of our international customers, all celebrating the benefits of the fair trade that bring us together in business and friendship.

The ten winners of this year's Canaan scholarships, which cover the full cost of a four-year college education in Palestinian universities including the cost of textbooks, were announced - nine women and one man, all from our farmer's families.

One representative of the students spoke for them all about her thanks to Canaan and the PFTA for giving Palestine back its life through education.

The weather at the outdoor site was perfect and all agreed the PFTA really knows how to put on a party. The band is known as the best in Jenin, and the music was wonderful. Singer Nu'aman Al-Jalmawi can sing the traditional and popular songs and put in references to the harvest, the festival, and the olives, to everyone's delight.

Jenin-area farmer Mahmoud Issa has introduced organic farming to his native village of 'Anin, and currently sits on the board of the Palestine Fair Trade Association.

The folk dancing was exuberant and the locals were able to dubke (a traditional Palestinian dance) about as well as the practiced troupe brought in for entertainment.

Before the festival started, finished parts of the new Canaan facility were open to the public for tours while organic olives were being pressed on the big Alfa Laval machine. We had our first visitors to our new on-site showroom and it was an eye-opener for the farmers and internationals that came.

This retail store would be at home in any major city, and it is here in Burqin, Palestine. The scale is grand: 18 foot ceilings and wide open spaces. Our massive showroom furniture from the fair trade company Tropical Salvage fits the scale and shows our premium products to advantage. This was the first time our farmers may have seen their produce in finished form, and their pride was evident. We did a brisk business in sales with the internationals in attendance.

Meanwhile, a wood-burning oven was set up outside the building, and women were making traditional taboun bread over a fire of olive twigs. Tall tables were set up outside the showroom to taste olive oil fresh from the press, with taboun bread to dip.

At 3 p.m., 350 guests mingled at the traditional harvest meal around fire pits set up among our olive trees. There are ancient olive presses from the Stone Age visible in our olive orchard. The history met the present - the traditions of Palestine continue with the best in modern technology and taste."

--Diane Adkin, Canaan Fair Trade U.S. Sales Coordinator

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A factory worker pours freshly picked olives into the press, beginning the extraction process.

Canaan employees work the main olive press in the company's new facility.

A technician checks gauges on the olive press, which extracts pure oil from freshly harvested olives using modern technology.

An international tour group led by Canaan Fair Trade founder Nasser Abufarha watches as fresh oil is finally extracted into a small, stainless-steel vat after passing through the numerous stages of processing in Canaan's state-of-the-art press.

Massive steel containers located in the facility's underground storage room can store thousands of liters of olive oil.

Visitors shop for fair-trade products in the Canaan boutique, located on the grounds of the new facility.

Bottles of Canaan's Rumi Tree Olive Oil - one of two organic varieties it produces - line a shelf in the shop.

Nabali Tree Olive Oil, Canaan's other organic variety - which is produced from the native olive tree of Palestine - is also available.

Couscous produced by small women's cooperatives is displayed in the Canaan Fair Trade shop.

Organic Wild Flower Honey is another of the many delicacies produced by Canaan, seen here on display in the shop.

Pure olive oil soap is freshly cut for purchase from large blocks, which are handmade by local cooperatives.

A local Palestinian woman prepares taboun bread for visitors in a traditional wood-burning oven.

British tourists sample traditional taboun bread and freshly pressed olive oil at the grand opening of Canaan's new facility.

Locals and international visitors sing and dance among the olive groves that surround Canaan's new facility, during the first part of the festival.

Centuries-old olive groves surround the new facility, located on five acres of land near the village of Burqin.

Canaan Fair Trade founder Nasser Abufarha speaks to attendees during the festival's evening festivities.

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All photos © 2008 Amanda Nunn.

For republishing permission, please contact the IMEU at info@imeu.net.

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To learn more about Canaan Fair Trade, purchase bulk products, or find a local vendor, visit www.canaanfairtrade.com.

To read more about Canaan Fair Trade and Palestine Fair Trade Association founder Nasser Abufarha, click here.