10 of the Best Olive Oil Brands in Israel
The Fellowship | November 9, 2018
One of the holy foods of the Bible known as the “Seven Species,” olives sustained the people of Israel in biblical times and continue to sustain them today. Olive trees benefit the environment by providing shelter for a variety of animals and migrating birds in Israel. Additionally, olive oil provides a modern source of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, while still being part of Israel’s culinary tradition.
Olive oil is a major staple in the Mediterranean diet and can be found in almost every Israeli kitchen. The Holy Land is home to over 81,000 acres of olive orchards, creating strong competition for the best olive oil. Our friends at Israel21c, a nonprofit organization and publication covering Israeli society, share their top 10 picks for the best olive oil brands in Israel.
These top boutique brands are producing some of the finest extra-virgin olive oils around. Visit these presses and farms in Israel or order a bottle online. You’ll gain an understanding of what real, fresh, unadulterated olive oil can and should be.
The Story Behind Galili Olive Oil
Family-owned Galili Olive Oil operates out of pastoral Beit Lehem (Bethlehem) Haglilit, a center for boutique food production in the Western Galilee. The family tends its 20-year-old organic olive grove on the edge of an ancient oak forest.
What started as a family hobby turned into a full-blown business and tourist center when Eran, the youngest Galili child, built a boutique mill in 2010 using a special olive press brought in from Tuscany.
In the visitors’ center, you can taste seven oil varieties in addition to fine goat cheese, wines, and other unique delicacies produced at boutique farms in the area.
Olives: One of the Bible’s Seven Species
Olive trees have an ancient presence in the Holy Land, so it’s no wonder that it’s one of the Bible’s Seven Species. An olive tree is firmly rooted in its place. It quietly provides shade. Its fruit gives forth nourishment, and its oil gives off warmth and light. In Psalms 52:8, David compares his faith in God to an olive tree.
But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. — Psalm 52:8
Continue to be like an olive tree and join us in saving Jewish lives around the world. We at The Fellowship do our part by providing shelter, nourishment, and warmth to struggling elderly Jews and Holocaust survivors. Learn how you can help vulnerable Jewish people and give your best gift today.