Husband-wife duo, Aziz Khatib and Tala Hammash run the famous brand Jenin in the UAE, admitted for producing top-notch Palestinian goods. Their best product is unfiltered, single-origin, cold-pressed olive oil sourced from hand-picked olives in Jenin – their land. It is the ‘Star of the Show’ and they also offer Za’atar, sumac, sage, freekeh, and olives. This couple marked their best and highest-quality Palestinian products in the UAE market of UAE. 

Tala marks Jenin’s uniqueness, explaining the freshness of the products has a direct connection to farmers. Buying any products from this brand means a genuine ‘farm to table’ experience. The name of the brand is based on the farm locations and their family roots, representing the resilient ‘Jenin spirit’ against Israeli settlements. It is located on the West Bank, Jenin boasts fertile soil, creating distinctive olives, tobacco, and watermelon flavours. Residents take pride in their Palestinian identity, glorifying a deep connection to the land. This pride and protectiveness stem from Jenin being covered by Israeli settlements which are widely considered illegal. Apart from its agricultural richness, the brand Jenin symbolises a spirit of resistance, resilience, and steadfastness to making it more than just a Palestinian product but also representing the heritage and determination of their land.    

A talent management consultant and project manager, Aziz and Tala, run this famous brand Jenin as a passion project alongside their corporate roles. They planned to expand the reach of the product and make it their full-time business. Aziz’s family has a three-decade history of importing olive oil, primarily catering to Palestinian families as a side venture. In a strategic move, Aziz, drawing from his corporate expertise, planned to transform this family business with a wide audience. This is the reason behind the birth of Jenin in October 2020, marking their long-standing family practice as a business and producing Palestinian products with a wider customer base in the UAE. 

The brand Jenin has experienced natural growth and Aziz took the step to sell their products to friends, expanding through referrals and invitations to farmers markets. It started reaching and they started to create gift baskets and corporate gifts, gaining attention from a Michelin-starred restaurant in Dubai. The growth of the brand is purely word-of-mouth-driven, with no marketing expenses. The quality of the product resonates with the brand’s success by showering positive reviews and responses from the customer side. It shows genuine connections and product value, marking the couple’s pride in creating a community that praises and supports their high-quality Palestinian offerings.  

Aziz and Tala noted the growth of the quality ingredient among the residents in the UAE, extending beyond Italian cheese and coffee. They wish to make their product to reach more audiences with a good appreciation. Tala says its mission is to familiarise people with this Palestinian product. Jenin products were placed in the events, allowing people to try the sample products and seek insights. The guided sessions cover queries about sumac, za’atar production, and cooking techniques for freekeh. All these experiences, Aziz and Tala had a connection between customers and Palestinian products, encouraging exploration and enjoyment of the rich heritage in their cuisine which they bring to the UAE market.  

Tala extends Jenin’s approach, guiding every individual to experience and understand their olive oil. They say the quality and flavours of their product are sourced from the unique soil of Jenin, contributing to a distinctive and bold taste.  Jenin’s olive oil is ideal for light cooking, drizzling on salads, and even enhancing the taste of quality vanilla ice cream. Tala shares the unique pairing of dipping dates inside the olive oil and it earns incredible reactions when it is introduced at markets. After the interaction, Jenin plans to teach and delight customers and increase their appreciation for the nuanced qualities of Palestinian olive oil and its variety of applications. 

Mostly, the olive harvest in Palestine occurs in October and November. From that, most of the olives are pressed in the West Bank, located near Jenin, where many olive oil presses are situated. Aziz elaborates on the process, and marks that harvest starts after the first October rainfall, cleansing all the dust and dirt particles. After that, the families united to gather olives for a week or two, with extra help hired if necessary. Post-harvest, within hours, olives reach an olive press for swift extraction of the coveted “liquid gold” – olive oil. The freshly pressed olive oil makes its journey to the UAE within 10 to 15 days.  

Aziz and Tala use this platform to raise awareness about Palestine. In the diverse community of UAE, Aziz marks the opportunity for the people to learn about Palestine through their products. This will help to represent their food, culture, and traditions as a means of preserving heritage and resisting in their way. Participating in the events and markets helps to expose their products to the people who are unfamiliar with Palestine. As the customers loved their products, curiosity about the farms and Palestine grew. They aim to bring out the challenges faced by the farmers in Palestine each year, recognizing the importance of connection to the land and understanding among the customers.

The olive is one of the powerful symbols of Palestinian roots and connection to the land which has been enduring for over a thousand years. The famous poet Mahmoud Darwish expressed the link between the trees, their planters, and the tears that may flow. Tala noticed a growing world celebration of Palestinian culture with the increasing reflection on supporting the businesses and its people. It reflects a collective consciousness that seeks to understand, appreciate, and stand alone with the spirit and heritage of Palestine. 

“From last year we started streamlining our operations, focused on our customer database, and launched the gift baskets and corporate gifts,” says Tala. “We got invited to more events, including private events. Our B2C (business-to-customer) side has grown significantly. We now want to grow the B2B (business to business) side more, focus on marketing and launch an e-commerce website.”

Most people become aware of the power of their spending, the couple choosing to support the locals with their products, and sustainable and socially responsible businesses and that marks this as great news for a business like Jenin.