A Miracle of the Middle East:
Equal Exchange Palestinian Olive Oil from PARC
The Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC), our olive oil partner, is the a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable economic development with 41 farmer cooperatives in the West Bank. Through the co-ops, farmers have been able to lower the cost of pressing their olives and storing, bottling, and shipping the oil; they also share best practices for pruning and plowing. PARC assists all of these co-ops by offering agricultural technical training.
PARC also helps to supply co-ops with water infrastructure, new seedlings, and processing and storage facilities. The organization provides a range of social services for women, children and families, and has delivered thousands of food packages to farmers during the pandemic. Recently PARC provided hundreds of food relief packages to people displaced in Gaza due to the bombing in May of 2021. Equal Exchange contributed to this campaign.
Enjoy the rich flavor of the PARC peppery, organic, cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil made from Nabali olives. Your purchase of Equal Exchange olive oil and medjool dates is a positive step in helping West Bank Palestinian farmers to make a living and provide for their families.
This olive oil is delicious! it has a great, rich flavor raw for use in vinaigrettes or dipping, and works great for cooking. This is a phenomenal cause and I love the fact that I can support something I believe in and get a great product at the same time." —webstore customer
Learn from Mohammed Hmidat
Quality Control Engineer, PARC
Olive Oil from PARC
Culture of Olive Oil
Olive Oil Tasting
Learn More
- View our photo slideshow from the West Bank.
- Read our olive oil FAQs.
- Read about our visits to olive oil producers:
An Interfaith Palestinian Olive Oil Project: 10 Years of Solidarity
Watch this video about an ecumenical faith-based olive oil project that was started by Jim Harb, in Knoxville Tennessee, over 10 years ago. The "Olive Branch Olive Oil" project actively encourages congregations and community members in the Southeast to sell and distribute organic extra virgin Palestinian olive oil from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC) sold by Equal Exchange. The tasty and flavorful oil has developed an enthusiastic following among congregants who offer their thoughts on the video. Sales help to economically sustain West Bank olive oil farmers and their families.
Recipes
For a truly Middle Eastern experience, try dipping bread into the oil mixed with za’atar, a delicious spice combination of thyme (or wild oregano), sumac, and sesame.
Hummus >
Caramelized cashews >From the West Bank to Your Table
The Palestinian people have depended on olive trees to survive under many challenging conditions. The trees are passed down through generations of Palestinian families and help to provide nutrition and a measure of economic security.
This high quality, delicious organic olive oil can be used cold on salads or for cooking--even baking.
Our trading partner, the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC), is a nonprofit organization which provides technical assistance and support for West Bank and Gaza producers. PARC bottles the olive oil at its headquarters in Ramallah.
Each year PARC exports the oil from the fall olive harvest through Israeli ports to the U.S. The process of transporting the oil through several checkpoints is difficult and costly.