There are 280 olive oil pressers in the West Bank available to the farmers to press and process their olive fruit. Some are owned by cooperatives and others by private owners. When they are owned by a cooperative it is because individual farmers have pooled their money and formed a press cooperative. Others are owned by individuals such as Ahmad Isa Sole.

Ahmad Isa Sole

“This is our history - grandfathers and great grandfather’s history, for 4-500 years. These olive trees are our roots, our history, and it’s the main source on which we have lived for hundreds of years. This area is very famous for olive oil and it is what has allowed me to grow into an old man and live to this age."

Ahmad is incredibly passionate about the history of olives in his family and has spent his hard earned money buying a Press to pass on through the generations. Ahmad was born in 1923 and below in translated words are the answers to questions and ideas he chose to talk about.

“Many years ago the price of the oil was high, but when the Ministry of Agriculture gave permission to import olive oil (in particular from Israel) the prices came down. One kilo of olive oil cost 10 - 12 shekels but when the imports came on the market, the price went down to 5 shekels.”

“After establishing the cooperative association, four years ago, the olive oil that was produced through the members of the cooperative rose from 9 to 13 shekels. Last season it would have been the cooperative's wish to sell the oil for 25 shekels, but we didn't succeed to sell it for this, instead only 20 shekels, but the local price was between 13 - 15 shekels. We hoped for this high price because we are an organic cooperative and work hard to produce organically. The prices that are offered to the farmers through fair trade has pushed all the prices in all the markets up, but still it is not enough.”

Why is olive oil so important to the Palestinians?

“This is our history - grandfathers and great grandfather’s history, for 4-500 years. These olive trees are our roots, our history, and it’s the main source on which we have lived for hundreds of years. This area is very famous for olive oil and it is what has allowed me to grow into an old man and live to this age."

The history of the press

“My father always told me that my grandfather’s father, my grandfather, father and now me and my sons have all been working on this press, pressing oil for the whole village. When my great grandfather died the press was passed down to the sons until now, when it is me and my sons. Since the Turkish period we have been pressing oil.”

“In the early days they always used humans to press the oil; this was until the end of the British occupation of Palestine (1920 - 1948). From then until the end of the 50's we used animals (donkeys) to smash the olives. In the beginning of the 60s another farmer and I created a new technology to press the oil which we used until 1973 - it comprised of using stones that rotated around to crush the olives and didn’t require animals. In 1973, I got a licence from the Jordanians to make a new press and I went with someone from another village where they had a better press and learnt how to build a semi automatic press that we used until 1986. In 1986 I bought a machine with my brothers and then I bought the one we now use.”

“As an investment its not such a good one, because I only work fifty days every 2 years. I have put my fortune and my sons fortune into this press for just one reason, that this work is part of my culture and my families culture and it would be a shame for our family to stop working as a presser of olive oil. I know if I sold the press and invested the money elsewhere I could make lots of money but I have told my sons that after I leave this life they should continue this work as I have from my father and grandfather and great grand father and now them in the future. I am very proud of this even if I am not getting much money from it and only working a few days a year, I think they should continue because it is part of their culture.”