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A Palestinian culinary enterprise announced its British sales jumped by 50% to £3.2m in this year, as shoppers actively purchase its olive oil in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied territories.

The brand, meaning "olive" in the Arabic language, is a community-focused business established to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian families through fair trade.

Buying premium olive oil and medjool dates from the territory has given customers a concrete method to assist local farmers, according to the managing director.

"Shoppers could hold it in their hands and say, I have achieved this, even if it’s a small act," she commented. The steep growth in sales showed "people wanting to make a difference with their purchasing power," she added.

During this season, a marketing push by the ethical trade organization seeks to boost recognition and sales of products that carry the organization's ethical stamp.

The logo is a guarantee that producers receive a fixed minimum price, along with an additional sum known as the Fairtrade premium, which goes into a communal fund for laborers and growers to utilize as they see fit. In 2024, British sales of Fairtrade products such as coffee, tea and tropical fruit produced £28m in premiums.

However, shoppers looking for the recognizable symbol will fail to see it on Zaytoun's olive oil. This is due to the ongoing conflict means nobody is able to finalize the checks required for official approval.

"We haven’t been able to obtain ethically certified olive oil out of Palestine for nearly twelve months now," said the leader. "The certifier withdrew at very short notice and without a handover."

In a statement published on recently, the Fairtrade Foundation and broader fair trade movement vowed to "speak out in solidarity with the residents of Gaza and the occupied areas whose prospects are being intentionally undermined."

Eleanor Harrison, the Fairtrade Foundation's head, stated that as a collective "we believe that each individual has the entitlement to reside and labor in safety and shape their own future."

She continued: "Our movement advocate fairness, solidarity, and the enablement of people to choose on their own paths. We cannot stay quiet while the fundamentals of existence are being destroyed."

Zaytoun is still buying the "identical" olive oil from local growers in the West Bank, and has high hopes that a new local auditor will be in place to certify the upcoming crop. The half-liter bottles are priced at about fifteen pounds.

The pictures of devastation in the region render it difficult to imagine agricultural production. But olive farming is integral to most of the countryside, said the director. "The landscape is dotted with ancient trees … most families have some whether it’s 20 or many."

"The hardiness of the tree, what it can endure, is very much symbolic to Palestinians. It’s a metaphor for their fortitude and durability through all these challenging times."

While interest for the brand items, which feature almonds and large grains, has been strong, maintaining operations has proven challenging.

Its products ship from the neighboring port of the city, but the journey is lengthy. The vehicles must take alternate routes to pass security stops, and the loads need to be stacked far lower than full load to permit detection animals to leap across them.

What appeared as an "impossible situation" in the early 2000s, when Zaytoun began as a volunteer-led initiative by a small team inspired by a trip to the region, has only got worse, the founder explained.

"But we’ve observed the demand here match that increase … From last year to this year we expanded by about 50% due to the British consumers seeking to show support in a tangible manner."

She said that at the beginning observers doubted whether the brand was a viable business. "The products are really costly to buy, so there’s not much profit margin," she said, adding that the "costs are very elevated in this market for buyers, so many thought they would not buy them."

"The venture was simply an act that then gained traction due to people embracing it. At no time did it seem like a thing that had any staying power."

"But 21 years later, here we are."