Our History
We planted the first olive trees in the late 1940s and began pressing our olives using traditional methods, prior to setting up our press, in the years that followed.
At the time, olive pressing (as was the method was) was animal powered. We transformed olive pressing for farmers around the region by establishing Jordan’s first privately-owned, mechanised olive press in the late 1960s. Up until then, the only mechanical press in Jordan was a government-owned one in Kufranjah, in Ajloun governorate, about 20km northwest of Jerash.
The Olive Farm
Our olive orchards lie north of the biblical Jabbok River, known today as Zarqa River. We are running into the fourth generation of family members involved in the care of the precious trees.
The farm is located in Al-Majdal, Jerash, about 50km north of Amman and spans the area between Dibeen Forest Reserve and the banks of the Zarqa River and King Talal Dam, the largest dam in Jordan,
Photo by Bernard Gagnon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10714350
The region, known for its fertile rolling hills, small farms, and site of the largest dam in Jordan, King Talal dam, is well known for its impressive Greco-Roman archaeological site which is located next to the modern city of Jerash, a derivation of its ancient Roman name Gerasa, when it was a member of the Decapolis, a group of ten Hellenistic cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in the Southern Levant in the first centuries BC and AD.
Photos of the ruins of the ancient city of Jerash:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash
Our Brand
Yaqoota, meaning ruby in Arabic, is the namesake of our brand. Ruby is considered one of the cardinal gems, precious above all other gems.
Resistant and valuable, the olive, al zeitoon (الزيتون), is like a ruby: a symbol of prosperity, wellness, and strength.
Our great-grandfather considered each olive fruit to be a precious gift from the trees. A well-taken care of tree provides an even more precious gift, the fruits of years of love and labour.
How can we help you?
06 5817141 (Weekdays: 9am – 4pm)
079 9240512 (9am – 6pm)
