September 2009 Newsletter
Zaytoun on October 8th, 2009Hello to all Zaytoun customers and supporters,
In this newsletter…
Summer Harvests
Olive Harvest 2009
Anin Women’s Cooperative
New member of staff and Zaytoun Office
Volunteers Needed
Events
Olive Harvest in Palestine
Other news and in the news
Where to Purchase Zaytoun Products
Summer Harvests
The summer harvests in Palestine which includes the za’atar, almonds, wheat (used to make the maftoul/Palestinian cous cous) and dates have all been positive and we have new stock on order of these products.
Olive Harvest 2009
Please find below a message from the Palestine Fair Trade Association:
“We regret to inform you of the low season expectations for the olive harvest in Palestine. This is the third year in a row that we have had low season and unfortunately, 2009 crop seems to be the lowest of all yet. Our best estimates that we will have approximately 20-25% of a normal harvest. Implication of this shortage is that is there will be a price increase of approximately 10% “ www.palestinefairtrade.org
This problem with the climatic conditions resulting in low yields coupled with the £ exchange rate has made it hard for Zaytoun to try and keep our prices down and we will need to pass on the price increase from our suppliers. We have currently got a good a stock of oil in the UK which we will be selling at current prices; our next order from Palestine will be the new harvest oil which will be impacted by the above mentioned price increase. If you would like to order now at current prices please contact order@zaytoun.org and we will send you our order form and price list (for our bulk customers). We will be using the revenue from the sales of our current stock of oil to forward to farmers in October in order to secure our supply of oil for next year so we are keen to sell this stock as soon as possible.
Anin Womens Cooperative
Anin Women’s Coop, which is part of the Palestine Fair Trade Association, produces maftoul (the Palestinian cous cous). They are a group of 20 women who came together motivated to work on income generation activities; they are all part of families whose primary income is from olive cultivation. This coop provides vital additional income to their families. Olive producers in Anin have lost tracts of their olive groves due to the construction of Israel’s illegal annexation wall which has destroyed and confiscated about 25% of the village lands.
The coop’s secondary mission is to preserve traditional culinary skills; the cous cous is a hand made product.
New member of staff and Zaytoun Office
Zaytoun are delighted to have a new member of staff joining us at the end of September. Manal Ramadan will be our primary point of contact for customers from October onwards; she’ll introduce herself in the next newsletter.
As Manal joins us we will also be moving into an office space. Since we started we have run Zaytoun from our homes but with Cathi, Siama and Heather going on maternity leave this year the time has come to move Zaytoun out of our houses and into its own space. We hope to make this move at the end of September and will send out our new address at that time (phone number and email contacts remain the same).
If anyone who is London based has office furniture which needs a new home please do get in touch with us on contact@zaytoun.org as we have a wish list of things which we need to set the office up.
Volunteers needed
Zaytoun has an ongoing need for help running stalls and sampling products in local shops. If you are interested please get in touch via contact@zaytoun.org
Events
Sunday 26th September 1-4pm, An Eid Fairtrade Feast, Huddersfield, W Yorkshire (venue to be confirmed) Young people from West Yorkshire, working in partnership with the Pakistani Youth Forum and the Lorna Young Foundation will be holding their own ‘End of Ramadan Fair trade Feast’. The young people are working on an exciting initiative with the Lorna young Foundation where they are training outside of schools, colleges etc. to become ‘tomorrow’s ethical entrepreneurs’. The young people are from mixed ethnic backgrounds and plan to use the Eid celebrations as an innovative way of bringing communities together to learn about ethical trading and to welcome each other into their respective communities. The event will include the chance to try out fair trade products, to both eat and learn to cook traditional Eid food, to find out about exciting products like Zaytoun olive oil (which helps Palestinian farmers) and the Oromo Coffee Company coffee. Participants can have their hands painted with henna, learn how to whack some dhol, try out sports that they have never had the chance to have a go at before and eat famous locally produced ice-cream. Contact both Christina Longden at projectmanager@lyf.org.uk and Mumtaz Ali at pyf@hpca.org.uk about the project and/ or the event.
27th September, Porchester Hall, London, A Night For Gaza
A Night For Gaza’ is an event taking place in London to raise awareness and funds for the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Join us for the London preview of Yvonne Ridley’s documentary ‘Three Uncles Go To Gaza’. The evening will also feature a 3 course Moroccan/Lebanese meal by Kenza restaurant and lounge, a selection of stalls, exclusive auction items and more. Doors and stalls open at 5:00pm, Event starts at 6:00pm
www.nightforgaza.org
3rd October 2009 Palestinian Evening as part of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival, 7pm, Gabriel’s Kitchen, 265 Upper Brook St, Chorlton-Upon-Medlock, Manchester
Saturday 10 October 2009 10am – 4.30pm, Kings College London, Waterloo campus
Free event featuring expert speakers from the Fairtrade movement and other organisations, workshops, debate, stalls, networking opportunities, and Fairtrade sampling! Come along and meet Fairtrade producers, businesses doing Fairtrade, Fairtrade Foundation staff and fellow campaigners. For more information and to book go to: www.fairtrade.org.uk/supporterconference09
Saturday 10th October- 10.30 until 5pm. St Thomas’s Church Hall, 182 Boston Road London W7 2AD (nearest tube is Boston Manor) Palestine- Why should we care? Come to a day exploring the issues through talks, discussions, active involvement, food and friendship. Organised by a group of friends in Ealing. Tickets are £5 and include a Palestinian lunch.
for more details and to book contact : jeanfitzperrin@hotmail.co.uk or phone 07739 429 754. Palestinian Fair Traded produce on sale
10th October, Chelmsford Quaker Meeting House, Rainsford Road (by Parkway), Experiences of Palestine
Saturday 7pm Admission Free, Refreshments from 6:30
Anna Seifert on her experiences as an Ecumenical Accompanier in the West Bank, offering protection through nonviolent presence. Atif Choudhury on the origins and work of Zaytoun, a cooperative and member of the WorldFair Trade Association set up to develop a UK market for Palestinian produce.
October 15, Thurs. 10 - 5, Gift of Sight Fair, Great Hall, Kensington, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX. See www.stjohneyehospital.org
First Saturday of every month 10am – 4pm, outside St John’s Church on Bethnal Green, 200 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9PA, nearest tube Bethnal Green. Run by London Palestinian Rights Group
Christmas Events
Though still several months away this is a busy time for Zaytoun’s small team so we are keen to recruit volunteers for the following events from now.
28th -29th November Hope For The Holy Land: Celebrating Palestinian Christianity Holy Apostles Hall (nr Victoria Station, London)
4th - 6th December
The Christmas Eco Fair at the Royal Geographical Society London
www.theecofair.co.uk
4th - 6th December
The Taste of Christmas Show, Excel London
www.tasteofchristmas.com/2009
Zaytoun is always looking for volunteers for stalls so if you would like to help at any of these please contact heather@zaytoun.org
Please let us know if you have any events coming up by emailing contact@zaytoun.org
Olive Harvest in Palestine
Zaytoun have had an overwhelming response this year to our picking trip and tour. The picking trip and the November tour are now full. We have created a second tour in October to cater for additional demand which has 2 places remaining on it; please contact harvest@zaytoun.org for details.
We are recommending the Joint Advocacy Initiative Olive Picking Programme to those who would like to participate in the olive picking this year as an alternative to the Zaytoun picking trip www.jai-pal.org/content.php?page=826
More information about our trips can be found here www.zaytoun.org/harvest/about-the-harvest
Other news and in the news
Attached links are to the recently premiered short film ‘Walled Horizons’ produced by UN Jerusalem on the humanitarian impact of Israel’s annexation wall.
Part 1:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLqd0z2lrRY
Part 2:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=040oV9j15BY
The film is narrated by and features Roger Waters (founding member of Pink Floyd), who visits the Wall and comments on his observations. The film also features Palestinians affected by the Wall and three Israeli senior security officials, two of whom were directly responsible for planning its route and explain the Israeli position for constructing the Wall.
Zaytoun have had some good coverage over the last month which we would like to share with you:
Zaytoun helped organise a trip for Joanna Blythman to go to Palestine; this link is to her piece which was in Observer Food & drink: Farmers in Palestine create amazing produce in adverse conditions – and are fighting to export them www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/13/farming-in-palestine
Zaytoun fared well in Ethical Consumer’s “What is your favourite ethical product of the last 20 years?”
www.ethicalconsumer.org/20thBirthday/lovethisbanthat.aspx
Where to Purchase Zaytoun Products
Zaytoun is delighted that we now have nationwide coverage for our range of Palestinian products.
The products can be obtained through a number of outlets:
Regional distributors remain the back bone of Zaytoun, both in terms of distributing products and also in terms of spreading the message of issues faced by Palestinian farmers. To find your nearest distributors please see: www.zaytoun.org/distribution/regional-distribution
Online and retail distribution for the products has grown really well this year and this link lists online and retail outlets for the products www.zaytoun.org/distribution/retail
Wholesale all Zaytoun’s products are now available through wholesalers so if you don’t see products in your local retailer please let them know they are available through the following www.zaytoun.org/distribution/wholesale
Please note these lists are regularly updated with new and changing outlets so please do check back and let us know if you would like to add details to this list by emailing contact@zaytoun.org
Thanks for your ongoing support,
ZAYTOUN CIC - fairly traded produce from Palestine
Farmers in Palestine Create Amazing Produce - Guardian Article
Zaytoun on October 7th, 2009Palestine produces some of the finest olive oils in the world, not to mention dates, nuts, tomatoes – even wine. Now, despite the conflict, farmers are finding ways to export their produce – and show the world that their country is still the land of milk and honey.
Read the rest of this article here
Zaytoun Favourite Ethical Consumer Product
Zaytoun on October 7th, 2009Zaytoun Olive Oil is among the top products mentioned in a recent Ethical Consumer Magazine poll. See more here
The Bottom Line: Ethical Oil is A First for Fairtrade
Zaytoun on October 7th, 2009Zaytoun is a Community Interest Company created to develop a UK market for fairly traded Palestinian produce.
The company is a co-operative and a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation. Zaytoun has worked with farmer co-ops to introduce the first olive oil and olives to receive the Fairtrade Foundation mark.
Read the rest of this article here
