Dana Friedlander for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism via JTA.org
Ashkenazi, owner of the Jerusalem
Olive Oil factory, about the Ptora
groves. He is technically a competitor,
but the two companies cooperate on
some projects to leverage their respec-
tive strengths.

Th e olive is a national symbol tied
closely to the country’s broader agri-
cultural history — it is even depicted in
the offi cial emblem of the state of Israel.

In 2019, Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture
found that Israeli olive oil was on average
double the price of its European coun-
terparts, costing about 9 euros (roughly
$10) in Israel per liter compared to 5
euros throughout much of the European
Union. Israel employs a protectionist
customs policy meant to level the playing
fi eld for local producers.

Both production and demand are ris-
ing steadily in Israel, a 2020 report from
the ministry shows. About 30,000 tons
of olive oil are sold in Israel annually,
of which about 12,000 are imported.

In comparison, the average annual pro-
duction between 1990 to 2010 was 5,000
tons. Th e average for the past decade has
been 16,000 tons annually.

(For comparison, Egypt, with a land
area 47 times that of Israel’s, produces
about 20,000 tons of olive oil annually.

Italy produces about 340,000 tons annu-
A Chanukah menorah in Israel glows with the
light of olive oil, not candles.

ally, and the biggest producer is Spain,
providing about 1.7 million tons annu-
ally, or half of the world’s supply.)
In recent years, local producers have
profi ted from growing demand for olive
oil generally and a preference for Israeli
brands specifi cally, said Ashkenazi, who
runs her olive oil factory in the northern
Negev with her partner, Moosh.

“Chanukah is the Jewish feast of light,
but it’s also the feast of the Israeli olive
oil,” she said. “Each year we’re seeing an
increase in sales especially ahead and
during Chanukah.”
Th e share of shoppers seeking it as
candle fuel is unknown, but increasingly
fi rms are buying packages of premium
Israeli olive oil as a holiday gift for their
employees, Ashkenazi said.

Business is going so well that Ashkenazi
says she doesn’t need the protectionist
taxes imposed on the imported products.

“Competition is good, the consumer
should have broad choice,” she said. JE
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