Zaytoun Newsletters

July 2010 Newsletter

Zaytoun on July 2nd, 2010

New stock in
Zaytoun refinancing
Harvest trip and tour news
Gaza – live bullets for farmers
Organic tomatoes and almonds
Palestinian Medjoul Dates for Ramadan
Ordering Zaytoun products
Upcoming events
Where to purchase our products

New stock in warehouse

The new container of olive oil from Canaan has arrived and all new stock of oil is now in our warehouse.

Financial support

2009 was a hard year for Zaytoun, with the Euro exchange rate, a poor harvest, and heavy investment in the Fairtrade launch all coinciding to challenge the stability of our financial footing. We’re happy to say that with the help of our board, and your continuing support in so many ways, we look like we are climbing back out of the rut. However, cashflow is still a problem for us – it’s still a challenge to find the money to put down on a new container of stock whilst we’re still paying for the last container. Your prompt payment and any prepayments you care to make all help in this regard, and also please consider a short-term loan to Zaytoun. At the moment we are planning for a couple of new orders from our suppliers, and would like to find an additional £30k from lenders. If you would like consider helping us out, with a loan of anything between £1000-£30,000 please email cathiATzaytoun.org in the first instance. Full updated financial information is available on request.

Harvest trip and tour news

The harvest tour will run from 1st – 7th November. Please check on http://www.zaytoun.org/harvest/harvest-tour/ for the itinerary and further details.

The picking trip will probably be in the middle two weeks of October. Training for this trip is due to take place on 14 August, venue to be confirmed. Inclusion on the team is by application – please email harvestATzaytoun.org for more details.

Background information on both trips can be found on our harvest page: http://www.zaytoun.org/harvest/about-the-harvest/

Gaza – live bullets for Gazan farmers

We’ve been reading a blog written by an activist in Gaza, she writes about the plight of Abu Taima’s family, who have a wheat harvest to get in under live fire in Gaza. Some of you will remember that we used to be able to get maftool from the women’s cooperatives in Gaza but since the Israeli blockade this has not been possible. We’d like to support the Gazan farmers however we can – please do check out this link.

http://gazathroughthepinktintedglasses.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/farming-with-the-enemy-live-bullets-for-gazan-farmers

Organic tomatoes and almonds

We are making plans to bring in organic sundried tomatoes from Canaan Fairtrade, and also organic almonds. Please look out for these items – we will be adding them to our order form in the coming month.

Palestinian Medjoul Dates for Ramadan

We are delighted to be working with Friends of Al Aqsa and Interpal in distributing Palestinian dates for Ramadan this year. The dates will be available via their offices in Leicester, Bradford, Walsall, Preston, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool. The dates will also be available via Zaytoun distributors across the country.

For more information about our dates please follow this link

http://www.zaytoun.org/products/catalogue/dates/

Ordering Zaytoun products

A few of you are emailing Manal’s address manalATzaytoun.org when placing orders. Whilst she can and does reply from this address to your order request, please try to place your orders through the orderATzaytoun.org address – this helps us manage our workload in the office and keep order correspondence separate.

Also, a reminder to those of you receiving deliveries to please count all boxes on delivery, before signing the delivery slip. We unfortunately cannot take responsibility for missing items if the delivery slip has been signed as all present and correct – it makes it difficult for us to follow up with the delivery companies and recoup our losses.

Upcoming Events

Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th July Real Food Festival Market Southbank Centre, London. Zaytoun has a new regular slot at this market on the first weekend of each month; come visit us and spread the word that Palestinian fare will be available here http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/content/view/493/147. If you would like to volunteer to help us out here please contact heatherATzaytoun.org

Sunday 4th July Liz Gentilcore will be holding a Fairtrade stall from 3-5pm,at Ye Olde Rose & Crown pub in Walthamstow. She will mainly be selling Fair Trade, Zaytoun products from Palestine and also she’s going to trial extending the stall to cover other Fair trade products, starting with Divine chocolate. The chocolate will be sold at cost price (so a bargain!) and as usual, the Zaytoun products have a small mark up and all proceeds go to her local Waltham Forest PSC group. The pub is on Hoe St, not far from the tube and High St, opposite the old cinema. This is a great opportunity and we hope it will now run monthly.

Tuesday July 13 , Frome Friends of Palestine will be hosting ‘A Taste of Palestine’. Raheesha of the Desert Divas fuses Gypsy freedom, Egyptian style and Turkish flamboyance in a sultry belly-dancing demonstration. ‘Breaking down the walls’ is the theme of Frome storyteller Nicola Grove’s act. “Stories are a great leveller”, she says, “because they are grounded in shared human experience”. Other events include a brand-new film about Bethlehem Link, the local charity that will be bringing young Palestinian performing arts students to Frome next year; a selection of pictures by local school children, produced in response to the Gaza Children’s Art exhibition earlier this year; and a range of delicious Middle Eastern food.

Masonic Hall, 7:30pm. £7.50/ £4 concessions, including food. Proceeds to Bethlehem Link. (Frome Festival Event no. 99)

Wednesday July 14 , Jewish comedian Ivor Dembina will present his one-man show ‘This Is Not A Subject For Comedy’, which charts his own transformation from pro-Israeli North London schoolboy to prominent anti-Zionist and supporter of Jews for Justice for Palestinians. Dembina’s show was staged in the Houses of Parliament shortly before the election - “the seat, the very birthplace, of hypocrisy – I mean, democracy”, as Ivor put it. “Dembina’s love for Jewish humanism and humour, and his sadness as that tradition is bulldozed by Zionism, are more sonorous than any division bell.” - Brian Logan in The Guardian.

The Granary, 7:00pm . £5 (Frome Festival Event no. 111)

Thursday July 15 , the Modern Arabic Literature magazine Banipal will be presenting ‘Arab Writing Today’, with readings by Syrian novelist Ghali a Kabbani, author of A Woman’s Morning, and Iraqi playwright Hassan Abdulrazzak, who won plaudits for his West End play Baghdad Wedding: (“Exhilarating… The dialogue is quick, sardonic, full of character” - Susannah Clapp, The Observer). They will be joined by Khyam Allami from Iraq , onetime drummer for Art of Burning Water and now a celebrated oud player. A bar and Arab food will be available.

Trinity Hall, 7:30 £8 (Frome Festival Event no. 133)

Frome Festival Box Office: 01373 455420 Mondays to Fridays: 9.30am - 2.30 and Saturdays: 9.30am - 5pm. Email: cheeseandgraintickets@hotmail.com

Please do send us details of your stalls and events so we can advertise them on the web and in the next newsletter.

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 Zaytoun products:

www.zaytoun.org/distribution/retail

Wholesale all Zaytoun’s products are now available through wholesalers so if you don’t see the products at your local retailers please let them know they are available through the following wholesalers:

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 new listings to this list by emailing contactATzaytoun.org

Thanks for your ongoing support,

Cathi, Manal, Rachel and Heather

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October/November 2009 Newsletter

Zaytoun on November 18th, 2009

Hello to all Zaytoun customers and supporters,

In this newsletter…

Olive Harvest 2009
Medjoul dates – order in advance
New member of staff and Zaytoun Office
Volunteers Needed
Events
Where to Purchase Zaytoun Products

Olive Harvest 2009

The olive harvest this year in Palestine has a very low yield as we mentioned in last months newsletter. Feedback from the farmers is that they are keen to maintain their sales abroad as this market is needed in the longer term. However our suppliers are feeding back that the price of the oil is currently soaring due to the shortages; we will let you know of new harvest prices in the next newsletter. Zaytoun have been keen to work on developing a range of Palestinian products in order to provide sustainability for our initiative and also for the farmer coops we work with; in light of the poor olive harvest we will be working especially hard to promote and develop other products alongside the oil over the coming year.

There have been a few articles published in the last few weeks discussing the low yield and also the ongoing problems which farmers are facing from the residents of the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

This article in the Washington Post is about our primary partner in Palestine, Canaan Fair Trade, it talks about their work, the context they are working in and also the effect that climatic conditions have had on their harvest this year.

The West Bank’s gold: A Palestinian cooperative looks to trade olive oil for foreign cash
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101903480.html

The Economist writes of the ongoing problems Palestinian farmers face from settler violence
Not much of an olive branch: The plight of rural Palestinians on the West Bank is as grim as ever
www.economist.com/world/middleeast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14660454&fsrc=rss

This Week in Palestine reports on some of the aspects we love about the olive harvest; can we tempt you to join us next year?
www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=2927&ed=175&edid=175

October has seen a Zaytoun tour group, the picking team and a couple of our director’s over in the West Bank and in November we have our second tour group visiting. Stories and images from their trips will be put up on our facebook group (see link at bottom of newsletter to join) soon and included in the next newsletter.

Medjoul dates – regional distributor and bulk buyers’ payments needed in advance

Zaytoun’s delicious medjoul dates are currently out of stock and we need your help to bring in our next shipment. The medjoul dates are sourced from the Palm Farmers Cooperative who work with the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees. The dates are grown in the Jordan Valley and the cooperative is unique in its work to export medjoul dates. Other medjoul dates exported from this area come from Israel’s illegal settlements which have stolen huge tracts of land in this fertile area. Please do check labelling of medjoul dates found in UK supermarkets as much of this product comes from the illegal settlements.

The news from the Palm Farmers Cooperative is positive and they have brought in a good harvest of high quality dates during September. This crop is made available to buyers at this time year only so Zaytoun is now securing our date supply for the coming year. In line with fair trade practice we need to pay the farmers at the time of order which is where we need your help; the bridging of funds between purchase and sale is hard for a small company such as Zaytoun. If you are in a position to pay for your date order in advance it would be a great help for us. More information on the dates can be found on this link www.zaytoun.org/files/2009/03/dates.pdf

Please contact us at order@zaytoun.org for more details and our current price list and order form. Discount available for advance payment on bulk orders of dates.

New member of staff and Zaytoun Office

We are now in our new office space, please note the address below for any correspondence, and are delighted to have Manal Ramadan on board. Manal is our main contact is the office and will be the primary contact for any customer orders.

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

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

28th -29th November Hope For The Holy Land: Celebrating Palestinian Christianity. Holy Apostles Hall (nr Victoria Station, London) www.h4hl.org

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 the events above please contact manal@zaytoun.org

For a calendar of events where fairly traded Palestinian crafts from Hadeel will be on sale, and often Zaytoun products too, please see the link on Hadeel’s website: www.hadeel.org/page.html?id=11&zenid=i217so4m21m7f3kup8ct5mj410

THE FRIENDS OF WADI FUQEEN have several stalls coming up nearer Christmas that supporters may wish to come to. We will be selling Fairtrade Palestinian handicrafts and foodstuffs and trying to raise awareness of the Palestinian plight. Why not come and buy your Christmas gifts? Stocking-fillers from Bethlehem prove very popular at Christmas time. www.wadifuqeenfriends.com

1) Coffee morning: 10am to 12noon at the Old Town Hall, Market Square,

Newbury, on Saturday, 14 November 2009. All welcome. We also expect to have a small display/exhibition on the history of Palestinian embroidery. The Mayor will attend so it would be nice if we could show we have a good few supporters behind us. Please do consider joining us. Helpers may meet together for lunch afterwards.

2) Fairtrade Xmas stall at Newbury Library, the Wharf, Newbury, from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, 28 November 2009.

3) Fairtrade Xmas stall at Church House, Caversham, Reading, (next to Waitrose) on 12 December from 11am to 4pm.

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:

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
You can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Or simply join our Facebook Group

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September 2009 Newsletter

Zaytoun on October 8th, 2009

Hello 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:

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

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

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August 2009 Newsletter

Zaytoun on September 10th, 2009

Hello to all Zaytoun customers and supporters,

In this newsletter…

Ramadan Mubarak
Product Availability and Special Offer
Zaytoun Recruitment
Volunteers Needed
Events
Olive Harvest in Palestine
Other news
Where to Purchase Zaytoun Products

Ramadan Mubarak

Wishing all our Muslim customers and supporters as well as those we work with in Palestine our best wishes during this holy month.

Palestinian Dates

The approach to Ramadan this year has seen a great increase in demand for the Palestinian medjoul dates. There has been effective campaigning from a spectrum of groups to encourage the breaking of the fast with ethically sourced dates rather than the product which is widespread in the UK market from the illegal Israeli settlements.

This link provides some background information from Friends of Al Aqsa www.aqsa.org.uk/RESOURCES/BoycottIsraeliDates/tabid/163/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

For more information regarding who and where Zaytoun sources their Palestinian dates from please see this link www.zaytoun.org/files/2009/03/dates.pdf

Product Availability & Special Offer

We currently have a good stock of all products. If you buy direct from Zaytoun please contact order@zaytoun.org for wholesale order form and price list (please note this is no longer on website).

Ramadan Special Offer Zaytoun is working to make our next transfer of funds to our Palestinian suppliers before the Eid Holiday at the end of Ramadan, in order to maximise this transfer we are offering a 10% discount on all orders placed and paid for before 15th September (offer open to our bulk customers only).

Zaytoun Recruitment

Zaytoun is looking for a new member of staff, initially as a maternity cover but with the potential to become permanent. The post is for an ‘administrative lynch pin’ and will be full time and London based. For further details please contact heather@zaytoun.org

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

28th - 31st August, Fair Trade on the Fringe, Edinburgh
The Grassmarket, 10am - 6pm. Hadeel stall selling Palestinian crafts and Zaytoun products. www.handupmedia.co.uk/events
Zaytoun Palestinian olive oil is also available at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh throughout August via Hadeel to link in with their daily showing of the play ‘Go To Gaza Drink The Sea’ http://gotogaza.wordpress.com/edinburgh-booking-details/

28th—31st August, Cheltenham Racecourse, Greenbelt Festival
www.greenbelt.org.uk
Greenbelt’s 2009 Sunday morning Communion Service theme is on the olive seed; designed to illuminate the thought that real change can take a long time, but it is worth it in the end. As part of this service a symbolic moment of anointing with Palestinian olive oil will involve inviting people in their groups to anoint each other as peacemakers. The olive oil is fair trade Palestinian olive oil from Zaytoun.org
The service will include Palestinian and Israeli voices such as Sami Awad of the Holy Land Trust, Prof. Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and singing from Reem Kelani. Rev’d Garth Hewitt from Amos Trust and others who have recently returned from the Holy Land will be speaking too.
Why not come visit us and other friends at the Rediscovering Palestine- G source section of the Greenbelt festival.

6th -8th September, Olympia London, Speciality and Fine Food Fair.
www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk
The premier artisan food & drink event in the UK Dedicated to delis, farm shops, independent retailers, restaurants, hotels, caterers & wholesalers. Zaytoun will be promoting the Palestinian products from the stand of Infinity Foods Co-operative Ltd, stand 1128.

12th & 13th September, Bristol Harbourside, The Soil Association Bristol Organic Food Festival
www.theorganicfoodfestival.co.uk
The Organic Food Festival is Europe’s largest showcase of all things organic. Whether you are in search of delicious organic food and drink, gorgeous skin care, fabulous fashion, organic textiles, home design, tips on organic gardening or you are looking for an entertaining family-friendly outing, this much loved festival is just what you are looking for.
The Organic Food Festival provides the chance to meet producers face to face, watch recession-busting cooking demonstrations, sample street food from Bristol’s top chefs and introduce your kids to special taste workshops designed just for them.

12th September, 12.30-5pm Fair Trade ‘Extravaganza 12th St. Andrew’s Church, Colworth Rd, Leytonstone, London. Music, food, stalls and more

20th September, The Urban Green Fair, Brockwell Park London
An independent green fair for London, powered by solar and wind energy.
http://urbangreenfair.org/index.html

27th September, Porchester Hall, London, A Night For Gaza
www.nightforgaza.org
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

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; please contact harvest@zaytoun.org for details.

More information about our trips can be found here www.zaytoun.org/harvest/about-the-harvest

Other news

IWPS Recruitment for Long Term Volunteers
The International Women’s Peace Service-Palestine (www.iwps-pal.org) provides international accompaniment to Palestinian civilians and document human rights abuses in the Occupied West Bank. We are inviting applicants from women who would like to join our team of volunteers. Successful applicants will serve at least one 3 month term in Palestine and support our on-going work outside. Deadline for application 30.09.09. Please contact iwpstraining@yahoo.com for more info and an application form.

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:

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

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

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July 2009 Newsletter

Zaytoun on July 22nd, 2009

Hello to all Zaytoun customers and supporters,

In this newsletter…

Zaytoun Won Times Readers’ Ethical Business Award!
Zaytoun Products Available Online
Product Availability & Update
Volunteers Needed
Events
Olive Harvest in Palestine

Zaytoun Won Times Readers’ Ethical Business Award!

Winning this award is a fantastic boost for Zaytoun; we were really moved by the comments readers had posted on The Times site expressing both compassion for the situation of the Palestinian farmers and enjoyment of their delicious olive oil. It is this support which has enabled Zaytoun to come into fruition and the award has energised us all to work harder in supporting marginalised farmers and introducing more wonderful Palestinian products to the market.

Thank you to everyone who voted for Zaytoun, your support is greatly appreciated. Information on the other wonderful business who were part of the ethical business awares can be found on the Triodos web site. www.triodos.co.uk/uk/whats_new/events/WEBA

Buying Zaytoun Products Online

Zaytoun is delighted that all of our products are now available via online retailers. Zaytoun will no longer be selling direct to individuals as the offering below now caters for this (we will focus on wholesale only). Please see list of online retailers below:

Traidcraft
Olive oil, olives and sun dried tomatoes are available in cases of 6.
www.traidcraftshop.co.uk

Hadeel
The Palestinian Fair Trade Shop in Edinburgh has an online shop selling all Zaytoun products and a beautiful range of Palestinian goods.
www.hadeel.org

The Olive Coop
The Manchester based coop organises tours to Palestine and sells all Zaytoun’s products on their online shop. Also available are other fairly traded products from Palestine.
www.olivecoop.com

Ethical Superstore
Offers the Fairtrade certified olive oil and olives by individual unit and per case.
www.ethicalsuperstore.com

E Kernel
Sells the 500ml bottles of olive oil.
www.ekernel.co.uk

Amnesty Trading
Gift packs of olive oil soaps.
www.amnestyshop.org.uk

The Islamic Establishment
Olive Oil Soap is available from here.
www.theislamicestablishment.com

Product Availability & Update

We currently have a good stock of all products (with 750ml being back in stock in mid July and the Nabali green olives at the end of July)

Almond Special Offer - we have a small amount of almonds which are BBE August 2009 and will be sold with 10% discount during the coming month (please note the almonds are still at premium until the end of the year as we use conservative BBE dates). If you would like almonds with a longer best before please specify at time of order as we do now have these in stock; these almonds will be subject to an increase on current price due to the £: Euro changes of aprox 25% since our last order.

Za’atar addicts – we have a few cases of 500g za’atar left in stock (12*500g) at £54.

Please contact order@zaytoun.org for wholesale order form and price list (please note this is no longer on website)

Volunteers needed

Zaytoun is being asked to sample products in various organic and fair-trade retailers. Shop owners have suggested that it would help promote awareness of the Palestinian products if we are to offer sampling sessions, if anyone is interested in doing sampling in their local area please do get in touch and we will give you more information about what is involved and all necessary support and product samples. This would be a huge help for Zaytoun to get the Palestinian products known about to a wider audience.

If you are interested please contact heather@zaytoun.org

Events

Saturday 4th July, 2 – 5 pm.
Faringdon Peace Group - Grand Peace Fete - Sat 4th July
Clock House, Coleshill
(On the B4019 between Faringdon and Highworth)
Music by Red Rose and Cherry Tree Players
Delicious teas, beautiful gardens, curry kitchen, stalls, childrens’ games and activities
Free Admission. All welcome.
More details from Sjoerd Vogt: 01367-241707 or sjoerd@vogt.org.uk

Thursday 9th July 6.30-9.30pm Book Launch with Zaytoun Stall
Toynbee Hall, 28 Commercial Street, London E1 6LS
Join War on Want for the launch of the new book Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide by Ben White.
Come along and:
• Hear Ben White talk about his book in conversation with War on Want’s Executive Director John Hilary
• Participate in an interactive audience debate and Q&A session with the author
• Hear from War on Want staff who have recently returned from Gaza
• Find out how you can take practical action in the UK to support Palestinians
• Enjoy Palestinian goods at the Zaytoun Stall
• Enjoy an outdoor summer reception with drinks and Palestinian snacks!
This event is FREE but it is essential to RSVP due to limited spaces. Please email palestine@waronwant.org

Sunday 19th July 12 noon - 3pm Hanin Palestine Café
St Paul’s Church Centre, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 1JP
Home made Palestinian food
Palestinian Crafts and Zaytoun products: organic olive oil, dates,
almonds, za’atar and olive oil soap
Email: info_hanin@yahoo.co.uk

15th -16th August Garlic Festival Isle Of Wight
Palestinian Produce’ stall, including Zaytoun produce, mana’eesh, baklava etc. Raising funds for drivers from the Isle of Wight to join the Viva Palestina convoy to Gaza in October.
Contact rachel@bridgeland.co.uk for more information

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 in Palestine during the olive harvest season 2009. If you would like further information please see here. Zaytoun are looking at offering a second set of tour dates and working with other organisations in order to fulfil requests for all who would like to join us.

Thanks for your ongoing support
ZAYTOUN CIC - fairly traded produce from Palestine

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June 2009 Newsletter

Zaytoun on June 17th, 2009

Hello to all Zaytoun customers and supporters,

In this newsletter…

Vote for Zaytoun in The Times Ethical Business Award
UnLtd Grant & Support
Olive Harvest Trips to Palestine
Olives for Hope
Product Availability
Welcome to new Zaytoun Distributors!
June Events
Volunteer Positions in Palestine

Vote for Zaytoun in The Times Ethical Business Award
Zaytoun is in the running for The Times Ethical Business Awards 2009 –it’s a great opportunity for us to spread the word about the fantastic produce of Palestine and the issues the farmers are facing.

Please follow this link if you would like to vote for us (closes 19th June)
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/movers_and_shakers/article6250324.ece

UnLtd Grant & Support
Zaytoun are delighted to have been successful in our application with UnLtd. UnLtd is a charity which supports social entrepreneurs – ‘people with vision, drive, commitment and passion who want to change the world for the better. We do this by providing a complete package of funding and support, to help these individuals make their ideas a reality.’ Their support will be a huge boost for Zaytoun this year.

Olive Harvest Trips to Palestine
Zaytoun organizes visits in October/ November every year to coincide with the Palestinian olive harvest. We run a harvest trip along the lines of a study tour where we meet with the cooperatives from which Zaytoun source their fairly traded Palestinian products. We spend time with the farmers to learn about their production, their situation and enjoy festival celebrations. Zaytoun also coordinates a volunteer team who spend 2 weeks accompanying farmers to help with harvesting their olives. This offers solidarity with the farming communities who are most at risk from settler and army violence in the West Bank. Both settler harassment and the military closure of their olive groves and routes to and from the fields make it impossible for some farming families to bring their crop home. The role of international volunteers in these cases is to observe, note what’s happening and where invited by the Palestinians, to negotiate safe passage for the farmers and their crops.

For more information about both of these trips please see http://www.zaytoun.org/harvest/about-the-harvest/ or contact harvest@zaytoun.org

Olives for Hope
Fairtrade groups in Devon are establishing a project to support the Palestinian Fairtrade movement by linking with Deir Istya, the village of Zaytoun oil producer Riziq Abu Nasser. The project, called “Olives for Hope,” has been set up as a response to the overwhelming support for Riziq during his visit to Devon in Fairtrade Fortnight 2009. Organisers Devon Development Education plan to encourage people to buy Zaytoun oil, sponsor new olive trees through the Palestinian Fairtrade Association, and to consider visiting Palestine for the olive harvest. For more details please contact Paul Raymond at p.ray83@gmail.com
Launch events’ details are:
Catholic Church Hall
New Road Brixham
Tuesday 16th June
7.30pm
Christ Church
Bear Street
Barnstaple
Thursday 18th June
7.30pm
United Reformed Church
Southernhay, Exeter
Friday 19th June
7.30pm
For more information please see flyer - http://www.zaytoun.org/files/2009/06/olives-for-hope-poster-lo-res.pdf

Product Availability
In May we had shipment of all products arrive, the 750ml and green olives went straight out again and will be back in stock next month. Please contact order@zaytoun.org for order form and price list (please note this is no longer on website)

Special Offers: We still have some stock of the organic 500ml BBE Dec 08 olive oil available on half-price offer so £30.00 case of 12 x 500ml. The oil is absolutely fine to consume as it has been stored well (cool, dark and sealed). Za’atar addicts – we have a few cases of 500g za’atar left in stock (12*500g) at £54.

Welcome to new Zaytoun Distributors
We are delighted to welcome 6 new distributors that have joined us recently, in areas ranging from Devon to Middlesex to London to Yorkshire! We wish them every success! Note re distributors contact info: All Distributors -If you haven’t already done so do please check the page www.zaytoun.org/distribution/retaill to ensure that your contact information is correct. Any changes should be emailed to contact@zaytoun.org

June Events
Planning an event? Send us the details! If you are involved in an event where there will be Zaytoun produce on sale be sure to email us with details for our ‘Events’ page. Please email contact@zaytoun.org The Events page can be found here: www.zaytoun.org/get-involved/events

LONDON, WHITECHAPEL 12 June
Tears of Gaza 12 June
5:30 – 09:00pm London Muslim Centre, Whitechapel road, London E1 1JX
This is a charity dinner for Gaza with guest speakers: Yvonne Ridley, Mary Edwards (convoy member), Mustafa (convoy member), Director of Ummah Welfare Trust and hosted by Ajmal Masroor. All Welcome, for more information visit http://www.uwt.org/site/article.asp?id=281

Leamington Peace Festival 13 June
Leamington Peace Festival, started about thirty years ago, is to promote international understanding and peace with lots of fun on the way - a wide range of stalls based on community groups from homeopathy and alternative products to local campaigning organizations (UNA, Amnesty, ourselves Justice for Palestinians) and a children’s tent with face painting, etc - all FREE. It is held in Leamington’s Pump Room Gardens, Saturday 13 June 10 - 6 pm, Sunday 14 June 10 - 4 pm.
Everyone welcome! See www.peacefestival.org.uk for more information

Book Launch with Zaytoun Stall 09 July 6.30-9.30pm
Toynbee Hall, 28 Commercial Street, London E1 6LS
Join War on Want for the launch of the new book Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide by Ben White.
Come along and:
• Hear Ben White talk about his book in conversation with War on Want’s Executive Director John Hilary
• Participate in an interactive audience debate and Q&A session with the author
• Hear from War on Want staff who have recently returned from Gaza
• Find out how you can take practical action in the UK to support Palestinians
• Enjoy Palestinian goods at the Zaytoun Stall
• Enjoy a free outdoor summer reception with drinks and Palestinian snacks!
This event is FREE but it is essential to RSVP due to limited spaces. Palestine@waronwant.org

Volunteer Positions in Palestine
- Marda Permaculture Training Centre: International Coordinator Position
The Marda Permaculture Training Center is seeking a volunteer International Coordinator to facilitate communications for, and development of the Marda Permaculture Training Center in the West Bank of the Palestinian Territories. The applicant can reside anywhere across the globe, so long as he or she has regular access to high speed internet and capacity to use Skype as a communication tool. Duties: This position involves regular communication with Marda Permaculture Farm Executive Director Murad Al Khufash, communications with a broad international network of supporters, and facilitation of grantwriting and fundraising efforts by a team of Marda supporters. Applicant will need to commit to at least one year of service, at about 5 hours per week (often less, occasionally more) to assist with the project. Compensation: Valuable experience coordinating the only locally initiated and led permaculture project in the West Bank, free admittance to the next two week Permaculture Design Course to be held at the Marda Permaculture Farm (potentially taught by Geoff and Nadia Lawton), as well as possible discounts or free attendance at other permaculture and sustainability related workshops in the US, UK, and other yet to be confirmed locations across the globe. Begin Date: ASAP If you are interested please contact Murad Al Khuffash on Mobile: 00972599967420/ 00972525169189 Email address:green_thumb_06@yahoo.com Skype: crazypalestinian

- The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine & Israel (EAPPI) provides protection by presence, supports Israeli and Palestinian peace activists and advocates for an end to the occupation. We are seeking: Ecumenical Accompaniers Based: West Bank and Israel 18 vacancies for 3 months’ service 2 vacancies for 4.5 months’ service Living allowance + benefits For more information and to download an application pack please check our website - www.quaker.org.uk/applyeappi Deadline for applications: 25th June 2009 (please note we are not able to send any paper copies of the application pack – all the information you need is online)

Thanks for your ongoing support
ZAYTOUN CIC - fairly traded produce from Palestine

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April 2009 Newsletter

Zaytoun on April 5th, 2009

Dear Zaytoun customers and supporters,

In this newsletter…

Fairtrade Organic Olive Oil Availability
Churches Support Zaytoun This Easter
Sindyanna In UK This Month
Second National Fair Trade Conference in Palestine
Zaytoun Stock And Ordering
New Pricing
London Events - April
Website: Shops/Distributors Info
Website: Events Info

Fairtrade Organic Olive Oil Availability

The Fairtrade Organic Olive labelled oil will be available from the end of April - Images of the new packaging can be seen on our website and the prices are below.

Zaytoun have already had a lot of interest in the oil since it has become Fairtrade certified and are pleased at the opportunity this is providing the Palestinian farmers to access new markets. Zaytoun would like to say a huge thanks to all of you for your support in making this certification process possible, through creating the market and awareness for the Palestinian olive oil. Five years ago Palestinian olive oil was not available in the UK and it is thanks to the many committed people who wanted to support Palestinian farmers, taking it upon themselves to market the oil to their local community, that this product has built a market here.

One change we have felt already is the interest from wholesalers to list the Palestinian products; the listings in these catalogues will make the oil available to retailers who have not previously sold Palestinian products. The wholesalers who have committed to listing the Zaytoun olive oil and olives are listed below, also mentioned is the area to which they deliver.

Suma – most of UK
Essential - most of South West and South Wales
Infinity - South East
Green City – Scotland
Oxfam Ireland – Ireland

Zaytoun will continue to sell the non certified olive oil; this is still fairly traded and organically grown but has not been through the process of certification. The certification process is a costly and bureaucratic one for the farmers and we would like to continue to build a market for the non certified produce as well. We recognise for many consumers that these certificates are vital in terms of assurance and confidence that the product really is fair trade and organic. We also recognise that many of Zaytoun customers are driven by their passion and solidarity for Palestine and that their commitment is based in the first instance with the fact that the product is from Palestine. Zaytoun aims to provide a transparent supply chain for all products and build closer links with the farmers and consumers where ever possible.

The Fairtrade Organic Olive oil and Olives will be available to distributors from late April onwards. For an order form showing all the Zaytoun range please email order@zaytoun.org

New Website – Thank You for Feedback

We are still working on fixing glitches on our new website and would like to thank everyone for their feedback so far. Do continue to email us on contact@zaytoun.org if you notice anything we haven’t yet fixed.

More Churches Support Zaytoun This Easter

The number of cathedrals using Palestinian Olive oil this Easter and throughout the year for anointing at baptisms etc… has continued to grow and we can now list the following as using Zaytoun from the Holy Land: Arundel Cathedral, Birmingham Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral Coventry Cathedral, Rochester Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral and Southwark Cathedral.

Salisbury Cathedral tell us they are using Zaytoun olive oil for their Maundy Thursday service for the third year running.

Sindyanna to Visit UK This Month

Zaytoun supplier, Sindyanna of Galilee, is in the UK this month. To view their calendar of events see: www.sindyanna.com/9397/Sindyanna_visit_UK_revised_X5a.pdf

Second National Fair Trade Conference in Palestine

The conference titled ‘Fair Trade Conferencing: Taking the Power Back through Creative Resistance’ coincided with the inauguration of the Palestinian Fair Trade Network in Ramallah last month. The conference report highlights that attendees all felt that: “Fair trade in Palestine is definitely a model worth fighting for.” Sadly because of movement restrictions, farmers and cooperative representatives from Gaza were unable to attend. You can download the report from our website: www.zaytoun.org/general/fair-trade-conferencing-taking-the-power-back-through-creative-resistance

Zaytoun Stock and Ordering

As another member of the Zaytoun team goes on maternity leave this month we would like to remind all our customers/distributors to please make sure they are putting their orders through via the Zaytoun main phone line 0845 345 4887 or email address order@zaytoun.org . This way we can endeavour to get them processed as soon as possible.

The wholesale order form is no longer on the website to avoid confusion with retail customers using it. Wholesale customers should email order@zaytoun.org to request the latest order form.

Current Stock: Zaytoun have good stock levels of most items. We are out of stock of 750ml olive oil and the 250g medjoul dates; however we do have the 5kg in stock. The 250g will be back in stock in April.

Special Offers: We still have some stock of the organic 500ml BBE Dec 08 olive oil available on half-price offer. The oil is absolutely fine to consume as it has been stored well (cool, dark and sealed). Za’atar addicts – we have a few cases of 500g za’atar left in stock (12*500g) at £54.

New Pricing

As mentioned previously Zaytoun pay our Palestinian suppliers in Euros (they have chosen this as the most stable currency for them to receive payments), and because of the hike in the Euro price against sterling, cost prices have risen beyond a point we can absorb. For this reason, after four years of stable prices, we need to put up the prices accordingly on many of our products – we’ve held off in the hope that the exchange rate would settle back down but it doesn’t look like this will happen soon. Please find the new pricing below, along with the pricing for the newly-certified Fairtrade olive oil and olives.

These prices will be in effect from April 2009. For a full updated order form please contact order@zaytoun.org

Non-certified products (fairly traded and organically grown none the less)

6/500ml Zayt and Za’atar £33.13

12/500ml Extra virgin olive oil £55.93

12/750ml Extra virgin olive oil £72.98

12/250ml Extra virgin olive oil £31.39

4/5 litre Extra virgin olive oil £132.00

12/ 80g Za’atar jar £18.60

25/ 50g Za’atar pack £21.25

Organic and FT-certified products

6/500ml Extra virgin olive oil £33.24

12/500ml Extra virgin olive oil £67.23

12/750ml Extra virgin olive oil £92.42

12/250ml Extra virgin olive oil £37.87

4/5 litre Extra virgin olive oil £176.68

12/200g Jar pickled green olives £23.56

12/250g Jar of dried olives £43.28

London Events in April – Volunteers Needed

NATURAL & ORGANIC PRODUCTS EUROPE 2009
Location: Grand Hall, Olympia, London (Trade show only)
Sunday 5 & Monday 6 April 2009
Zaytoun Stand No 5080R
www.naturalproducts.co.uk

UK AWARE 2009
Location: Olympia, London
Friday 17 & Saturday 18 April 2009
(Zaytoun have some free tickets available for this event so please do contact us if you are intending to go)
www.ukaware.com

CHARITY CRAFT FAIR IN AID OF GAZA
Location: The Mosaic Rooms, A.M.Qattan Foundation, Tower House, 226 Cromwell Rd, London, SW5 OSW.
Sunday 19 April 11am till 4pm

REAL FOOD FESTIVAL
Location: Earl’s Court, London
Friday 8 – Sunday 10 May 2009
www.realfoodfestival.co.uk

We need volunteers to help with the Zaytoun stall at the above events. If you are interested please contact heather@zaytoun.org

Website: Shops/Distributors

Zaytoun’s new website includes two pages dedicated to contact information for our distributors. If you are a Zaytoun distributor, please check the page www.zaytoun.org/distribution/retail and make sure your contact information is correct and up to date. Any changes should be emailed to contact@zaytoun.org

Website: Events Page

Many of you have noticed our new ‘Events’ page. If you are involved in an event where there will be Zaytoun produce on sale be sure to email us with details. Please email contact@zaytoun.org. The Events page can be found here: www.zaytoun.org/get-involved/events

Latest products

For our latest products see www.zaytoun.org/products/catalogue

Thanks for your ongoing support,

ZAYTOUN CIC - fairly traded produce from Palestine

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March 2009 Newsletter

Zaytoun on March 9th, 2009

Dear Zaytoun customers and supporters,

Many apologies for the lateness of this newsletter – as you will see below, we have been really busy these last few weeks with many exciting things including the Fairtrade fortnight producer tour, staffing changes and as many of you have already noticed, a brand new website!

In this newsletter…

Fairtrade Fortnight News
New Website launch
Sindyanna Visit UK
Situation in Gaza
Stock levels
Changes at Zaytoun
Events - Volunteers Needed
Website: Shops/Distributors info
Website: Events info

Fairtrade Fortnight Producer Visit

Zaytoun had four visitors from Palestine with us for Fairtrade Fortnight, Taysir Arabasi Director of Zaytoun in Palestine, Nasser Abufarha Director of Canaan Fairtrade, Mohammad Issa President of the Palestine Fair Trade Producer Company and Riziq Abunasser of the Deir Istya Organic Olive Oil Cooperative.

The four attended events across the UK and Ireland and were delighted at the feedback from the public about their product and the interest in the situation for olive farmers in Palestine. The launch of the oil being Fairtrade certified has been very exciting and we are keen to support them in making sure that the opportunity to increase the market access for their products is seized.

The Palestinian olive oil was launched in the Coop supermarket during this visit. It was a fantastic moment for the farmers and Zaytoun, to see how the consumer demand for their product has grown since we started in 2004. Zaytoun is delighted that the Coop has decided to stock Palestinian olive oil. We are also keen to keep promoting Zaytoun labeled products as we feel that there is still much more work to be done in supporting the Palestinian farmers and it is the sales of product with the Zaytoun label which enables us to keep running.

Fairtrade Fortnight Media Coverage

Fairtrade Fortnight was a really busy one for Zaytoun with the launch of the world’s first-ever FLO-certified olive oil and olives! We’ve been working with a communications agency in Brighton, Neocreative, who created a media pack for us and got us a mention in lots of different publications – mostly newspapers including a piece in the Guardian. For a full list of our media coverage links please email contact@zaytoun.org

We’re hoping that over the next few months the story of the world-first Fairtrade olives and oil will be covered by the periodicals, especially the food-focussed ones. This will help support our sales to the wholesalers, who in turn supply many of the delicatessens and health food shops around the country.

Some of the coverage we have received is listed below:

Fairtrade Foundation Newsletter
www.fairtrade.org.uk/resources/fair_comment/spring_2009/olive_oil_the_lifeblood_of_palestine.aspx

Guardian Article
www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/23/fairtrade-olive-oil-palestine

Regional Media
www.midweekherald.co.uk/midweekherald/news/story.aspx?brand=MDWOnline&category=news&tBrand=devon24&tCategory=newsmdw&itemid=DEED17%20Feb%202009%2013%3A06%3A10%3A000
www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Coop-party-sponsor-olive-trees-West-Bank/article-704688-detail/article.html

Others
www.greenevents.co.uk/devon/new-view.php?new_id=3919
www.ethical-junction.org/ethicalpulse/index.php?/archives/1469-Launch-of-worlds-first-Fairtrade-Olive-Oil.html
www.islamicarea.com/blog/view/id_863
http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/162295/1/6295
www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/38847/2009/01/23-142412-1.htm
www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/CJAL-7PKNP4?OpenDocument

New website launch

To go with our new product branding and the Fairtrade certification, we’ve relaunched our website. We have been working with communications agency Neocreative on this and hope you like the new look as much as we do.

Several of you have noticed some glitches with the new site. We’re working on fixing these as fast as we can and we’re replacing the old price list with a downloadable order form. Please bear with us, and do let us know what you think of the site as a whole.

We’d also like to draw your attention to the ‘Resources’ pages under the ‘Get involved’ section – whilst these links have yet to be updated, you will eventually be able to download pictures, reports and flyers from this page for your own events.

Churches Support Zaytoun

www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=71183

Zaytoun Olive Oil has always been popular with the churches and we are pleased to see an increase in support from across the country. Zaytoun oil has been used by Southwark Cathedral at their annual Maundy Thursday Chrism Mass and all baptism and confirmation services for the past three years. Canon Andrew Nunn, Subdean of the Cathedral, a Fairtrade place of worship for five years, had the oil recommended to him by another Fairtrade church in the diocese. He says that its use at the annual mass is ‘very symbolic’ and a ‘great communal witness to Fairtrade’.

Zaytoun has also received an enquiry from Rochester cathedral. The Canon of Rochester cathedral was recommended Palestinian olive oil from Zaytoun by Southwark Cathedral and will also now use this for Maundy Thursday and baptisms. Arundel and Brighton Cathedral and St John’s seminary near Guildford have also used Zaytoun oil. Why not check if your local church would consider supporting the holy land by using Palestinian olive oil?

Sindyanna Due to Visit UK

Zaytoun supplier, Sindyanna of Galilee, is unique organisation based on co-operation between Palestinian and Jewish people, based on a mutual belief in equality and Palestinian right to self-determination. Sindyanna has a strong track record in providing women with equal chances and advancing the economic situation of Arab women within Israel. Sindyanna representatives will be visiting the UK in April and would like to meet with: fair trade wholesale, retail and consumer organisations; trade unions; media; women’s organisations; and all people with an interest in the Middle East. For further information email jobird@cooptel.net

Situation in Gaza

Human Rights activists working with the Free Gaza Movement and the International Solidarity Movement have been putting out numerous reports recently about the continued Israeli aggression against ordinary Gazans, including the targeting of Palestinian farmers. Zaytoun have been adding many of the entries which are well documented, onto the Journal section of our website. Please see http://www.zaytoun.org/journal/. We ask our supporters to continue doing all you can to protest the continued targeting of innocent Palestinian farmers being injured and killed whilst trying to maintain their livelihoods.

Zaytoun Stock Levels Update

Zaytoun are out of stock of 750ml Olive Oil bottles. However we still have 500ml BBE Dec 08 olive oil available on half-price offer.
A new shipment of Medjoul Dates will be in stock in March.
We now have some top-up stock of Olives and are expecting more plain soaps.

Changes at Zaytoun

Zaytoun’s new team member Chris Campbell is now working with us, whilst existing members of the Zaytoun team will be going on maternity leave. To make this transition as smooth as possible we ask that all our customers/distributors please make sure they are putting their orders through via the Zaytoun main phone line 0845 345 4887 or preferably to the email address order@zaytoun.org

Peterborough & London Events – Volunteers Needed

We urgently need volunteers for the following events – if you can help please email contact@zaytoun.org with your contact details.

Meeting organised by Peterborough Trades Union Council on 12th March 2009. The location is - The Great Northern Hotel, directly opposite Peterborough railway station.
The meeting will begin at 8pm, but is preceded by the annual general meeting of the local UNISON health branch at 7:30pm, therefore we would need a volunteer to arrive and set up a stall for 7pm.

Alternative Economic Summit to be held at the University of East London on 1st April. See www.altg20.org.uk for further details.

Charity craft fair in aid of Gaza on April 19th at The Mosaic Rooms, A.M.Qattan Foundation, Tower House, 226 Cromwell Rd, London, SW5 OSW. 10am till 4pm.

Website: Shops/Distributors

Website: Events Page

Latest products

For our latest products see www.zaytoun.org/products/catalogue

Thanks for your ongoing support,

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February 2009 Newsletter

Zaytoun on February 4th, 2009

Dear Zaytoun customers and supporters,

In this newsletter…

Fairtrade News
Palestinian Producer Profile
Stock clearance
Price Increase
Changes at Zaytoun
Events - Volunteers Needed
Featured Seller: Habibi Restaurant
New Shops/Distributors
Website: New ‘Events’ Page
Supporting Gaza

Exciting News - Fairtrade Certification and Fairtrade Fortnight

As of the 29th January 2009 Palestinian olive oil became the world’s first olive oil to be certified by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations (www.fairtrade.net)! Zaytoun have been working towards this for the last five years and are absolutely delighted. The International Olive Oil Council cites that Palestine is the original home of the olive tree; it is very fitting that the land where olive cultivation began some 6000 years ago is also the first to bring us Fairtrade olive oil!

Our congratulations to the farmer coops in Palestine who have worked so hard for this and we hope this will open more market opportunities for their fantastic product.

Zaytoun are proud to announce that we will launch the first ever Fairtrade Certified product from Palestine during Fairtrade Fortnight 2009. Please see www.zaytoun.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/fairtradenews2.pdf for more information.

Three representatives of the olive oil sector in Palestine will be in the UK for Fairtrade Fortnight; which runs from February 23rd – March 8th. These include Taysir Arabasi Zaytoun’s Director based in Palestine and Nasser Abufarha, Director of Canaan Fair Trade in Palestine. A schedule of events can be found here: www.zaytoun.org/events/fairtrade-fortnight-events

Zaytoun are grateful to the support of The Funding Network (www.thefundingnetwork.org.uk) in launching the Fairtrade Palestinian Olive Oil.

Zaytoun has been getting lots of recognition in the media lately, with lots of new articles appearing on the web and in print. “The oil Zaytoun offers is about as ethically and environmentally sound as can be imagined.” writes Victoria Lambert in The Geographical www.zaytoun.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/geographical-article.pdf

With people recognising that Palestinian Olive Oil is produced using fair trade organic principles, more and more people are rushing to buy. Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European Parliament recently announced that Palestinian Olive Oil is a latest addition to the tables and restaurants of the European Parliament in Brussels and in Strasbourg. For more news and updates see www.zaytoun.org/journal

News from Palestine: Producer Profile

With the exciting news that Zaytoun is now launching a fairtrade certified range through our supplier Canaan, we visited producers in the Jenin area, to find out what this means for them. Click www.zaytoun.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/profile1.pdf for one farmer’s story.

Important Update: Stock clearance

Zaytoun still has some clearance stock left. For those customers concerned about ‘BBE’ dated stock – we’d like to stress that ‘best before’ relates to the optimum quality of the product and therefore the products are safe to consume. Please see www.foodstandards.gov.uk for more info.

Organic Olive Oil: Best Before End December 2008 50% off (the oil is fine for the coming months as it is sealed and stored well).
Medjoul Dates: BBE Feb 2009 30% off
These goods can be included in bulk orders or dispatched by the case.

Price Increase

Zaytoun imports are being affected by the £: Euro exchange rate, which has forced us to put into effect an immediate price increase on our wholesale price structure. So far we have only applied the increase to our olive oil. Please see our products page for updated prices www.zaytoun.org/products. For customers able to pay at the time of order we can offer a 5% discount.

Changes afoot…

Zaytoun is looking forward to having a new employee in place at the end of February, whilst existing members of the Zaytoun team will be going on maternity leave. To make this transition as smooth as possible we ask that all our customers/distributors please make sure they are putting their orders through via the Zaytoun main phone line 0845 345 4887 or the email address order@zaytoun.org

London Events – Volunteers Needed

Due to Israel’s brutal onslaught in Gaza, we’ve had a number of requests to attend Gaza fundraisers in London.

As well as encouraging you to tell others about these events, what we need are some volunteers to help set up and run the stalls. We’d arrange delivery of stock either to the venue or to your house, together with literature and info sheets. We see these events as a really important way to remind people that there are many ways to support the people of Palestine.

If you can volunteer for any of the events below please email contact@zaytoun.org with your contact details and we will get in touch with you.

1. Saturday 14th February & 2. Saturday 21st February: Children of Gaza – Charity dinners by Muslim Aid
3. Saturday 28th February: Diocese of Westminster at Holy Apostles Church, Pimlico. 7pm

Featured Seller: Habibi Restaurant

If you fancy authentic Arabic food with a real ‘taste of Palestine’, you may want to check out Habibi restaurant in Coventry which uses Zaytoun’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil in their dishes.

The restaurants Manal Timraz, a Palestinian living in Coventry, who has lost 15 members of her family in the military offensive in Gaza, has just launched the ‘Million Candles for Peace Campaign’ to remember all those suffering in Gaza. She is hoping that people will donate a million candles that she can take with her to show solidarity with the people of Gaza and to remind us all for the need to work for peace between all peoples. To find out more about Manal’s initiative and send messages of peace see www.habibirestaurant.co.uk

New Shops/Distributors

Zaytoun are pleased to report that over the last few months we have had many new distributors come on board to sell Zaytoun products across the UK and Ireland. If you’ve had problems finding a distributor near you in the past, keep an eye on our ‘sellers’ page to see if a new distributor has popped up near you www.zaytoun.org/sellers

Website: New ‘Events’ Page

Zaytoun has a new ‘events’ page www.zaytoun.org/events on our website which lists regular and one-off events, where our products are sold. If you would like us to include an event please email contact@zaytoun.org with the following details:
Name of event e.g. Monthly Brighton Farmers Market
Full address where event is held
When the event takes place e.g. Every Sunday at 1pm
Contact if relevant

Zatoun in Canada Support Zatoun in Gaza

At this difficult time for the people of Gaza, Zatoun in Canada have chosen to reach out to the ‘Zatoun’ community in Gaza to show solidarity. Its formal name is ‘Al-Zaytoun,’ and it is a very poor neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City. Not much is to be found about it on the Internet, other than it was the site of heavy bombardment and casualties including a report of 25 members from one family killed by a missile.

Zatoun has made a $2,500 contribution in aid of families living in the Zatoun neighbourhood of Gaza City and would like to encourage supporters to donate what they can. For more information please see www.zaytoun.org/general/message-from-zatoun-in-canada

Latest products and prices

For our latest products and prices see www.zaytoun.org/products

Thanks for your ongoing support,

ZAYTOUN CIC - fairly traded produce from Palestine

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January 2009 Newsletter

Zaytoun on January 11th, 2009

Dear Zaytoun customers and supporters,

The recent events in Gaza have overshadowed whatever joy or peace one can have at this special time of year. As the terrible suffering in Gaza only gets worse, the world’s leaders are largely complicit in Israel’s ongoing violations of human rights in Palestine through their inaction in pushing at a government level for Israel to adhere to international law. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (www.palestinecampaign.org) has details for anyone wishing to write to MPs, attend demonstrations or otherwise participate in lobbying for political change. War on Want also suggests actions you can take to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza (www.waronwant.org).

As you know Zaytoun’s work in Palestine is of a different kind. Zaytoun is not set up to accept funds for emergency humanitarian aid and has no means to get them to Gaza, quickly or efficiently. Getting anything in or out of Gaza has been almost impossible due to Israel’s brutal siege. Zaytoun was forced to stop importing produce from Gaza in 2005 despite Gazans being ready and willing to produce for international markets.

However, we at Zaytoun would like to support the people of Palestine and especially in Gaza at this time. We therefore urge you to do all you can to make your voices heard and bring attention to what is really happening in Gaza. Many of our supporters will be making donations to reliable charities and NGOs that are working on the ground in Gaza. It is difficult to single out any one organisation that is helping Gazans in this difficult time, therefore we would encourage you to donate whatever you can to support the many appeals that are currently being made.

Some of the charities currently working in Gaza are listed below:

www.muslimhands.org/en/gb - Muslim Hands
www.islamic-relief.com - Islamic Relief
www.map-uk.org – Medical Aid for Palestinians
www.humanappeal.org.uk - Human Appeal International
www.interpal.info - Interpal
www.oxfam.org.uk - Oxfam
www.muslimaid.org - Muslim Aid

There are many sources that are battling the mainstream media in order to get information out about what’s really happening in Gaza. The Free Gaza Movement (www.freegaza.org) has international human rights activists working on the ground in Gaza and have regular updates on their website about what is happening. OCHA’s website has regular reports about what is happening on the ground (www.ochaopt.org) and Al Jazeera’s English news channel and website (http://english.aljazeera.net) are a good news source for those wanting to cut through the pro -Israeli bias of the mainstream news.

Finally, Zaytoun wishes immediate relief to the people of Gaza and a peaceful future for all.

Important Update: Stock clearance

Organic Olive Oil: Best Before End December 2008 50% off (the oil is fine for the coming months as it is sealed and stored well).
Dates: BBE Feb 2009 30% off
These goods can be included in bulk orders or dispatched by the case.

We currently have all goods in stock including all sizes of olive oil with long shelf life. Please be aware that we are trying to maintain our 2008 prices but this is hard given the decreased value of the pound; prompt payment of invoices and order pre-payments are much appreciated.

Zaytoun Deliveries Not Affected By Gaza Attack

So far we haven’t heard of any difficulties in getting produce out of the West Bank. This may change if there is widespread unrest in the West Bank in response to the atrocities in Gaza, and if conflict breaks out in Lebanon the port of Haifa may be affected by closures. We will let you know if deliveries of new stock are affected by the conflict.

Fairtrade Certification and Fairtrade Fortnight

As we write this we are waiting with baited breath to hear about the certification of olives and oil from one of our suppliers, Canaan. There has been coverage in The Observer about the fair-trade mark www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/dec/28/palestinian-fair-traid-olive-oil …although we at Zaytoun would quite like to know where Messrs. Brown, Mandelson, Blair and assorted financiers have been in the 5 years we’ve been working with Palestinian producers…

We’re bringing over three representatives of the olive oil sector in Palestine to the UK for Fairtrade Fortnight; which runs from February 23rd – March 8th. We will send a schedule of events they will be involved in, with the February newsletter. If you are interested in hosting a meeting or event in your area please do get in touch.

Maternity Cover

Zaytoun is happily planning for 2 of our team to be on maternity leave from March this year. We are currently recruiting one full time member of staff to cover for the period mid February – mid December 2009. The job is based in London (possible to work from home for the right candidate), is focused on sales administration & customer liaison but requires flexibility and enthusiasm to participate in many aspects of Zaytoun’s work. Please get in touch if you are interested in receiving a job description and further information.

Regular Events

Zaytoun is planning to update its website with information about regular events/stalls where Zaytoun produce is sold. If you have a regular Zaytoun stall please email contact@zaytoun.org with the following details:
Name of event e.g. Monthly Brighton Farmers Market
Full address where event is held
When the event takes place e.g. Every Sunday at 1pm
Contact if relevant

Latest products and prices

For our latest products and prices see www.zaytoun.org/products

Thanks for your ongoing support,

ZAYTOUN CIC - fairly traded produce from Palestine

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