Cultivating Quality
Most in the Mediterranean region claim that the olive tree originates from their area. With that in mind, it is said by many, including archaeabotanists at the National Center for Scientific Research in France, that the olive tree originates from the Levant region, which includes modern-day Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
From tree care, olive pressing, to packaging, we prioritize quality over quantity. Our olives are picked with care and patience to preserve fruit health and ensure the highest quality end product.
We test our olive oil throughout the harvest and pressing season. Every bottle and can is filled with superior olive oil with acidity less than 0.8% and peroxide level less than 20mEq O2/kg oil, one of the basic requirements of the extra virgin olive oil classification.
Agricultural Knowledge
Our great-grandfather consulted with the prominent Palestinian agricultural engineer, Dr. Ali Nasooh Al Taher.
Dr. Taher expanded agricultural knowledge in the region and introduced various fruit and palm cultivars to Jordan. He was awarded various medals and recognition awards from Germany, France, Iran, Tunisia and Jordan for his literary and scientific publications on the olive tree. As part of his endeavours to raise agricultural knowledge, he established the first agricultural schools in Jordan and introduced various fruit and palm tree cultivars to the country.
Dr. Taher assisted with the planting and care of our olive trees, and through selective breeding and extensive knowledge of agriculture, he developed one of the cultivars (Nabali Nasoohi), which was planted on our farm.
Olive Cultivars at Majdal Farm
Al Yaqoota Extra Virgin Olive Oil is pressed from the finest olive varieties in the region including Nabali, Nabali Nasoohi, novel local and regional hybrids, and Grossi Di’Espagna.
Nabali
Nabali olives are named after Beit Nabala, a Palestinian Arab village in Ramle (west of Jerusalem) that was destroyed during the 1948 war. Families brought Nabali saplings from Palestine to Jordan in the early 1950s. Nabali, also known as Nabali Baladi, has one of the highest levels of oleic acid out of the most popular olive cultivars in Jordan. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated oil and is the predominant fatty acid constituent of olive oil with several health benefits.
Nabali Nasoohi
Nabali Nahoosi is named after the prominent Dr. Ali Nasooh al Taher (1907-1982), a Palestinian-born agricultural engineer, who wrote the core book on olive trees in the region. Dr. Taher was awarded various medals and recognition awards from Germany, France, Iran, Tunisia and Jordan for his literary and scientific publications on the olive tree. He established the first agricultural schools in Jordan and introduced various fruit and palm tree cultivars to the country. He visited our farms and was consulted on the care and planting of olive trees in the 1950s and 1960s.
Novel Hybrids
At our olive farm, we have introduced novel hybrids using grafted shoots from our Nabali trees onto indigenous wild olive tree saplings from the area as base plants.
Grossi Di’Espagna
We introduced this variety as imported saplings from Italy. The literal translation of the Italian name, Grossi Di’Espagna, is “large from Spain”. This cultivar is valued primarily for the size of its fruit; it is large and good for pickling. It is usually used for green olives in brine, but can also be used for black table olives.
Sources of Later Saplings
Some of our more recent saplings are from Faisal Arboretum in Jerash. The arboretum (botanical garden specializing in trees) is overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture.
