From the West Bank to Western Canada: How these Palestinian goods made their way to Calgary — just in time
CBC
When the first boxes of olives, olive oil, Nabulsi cheese and za'atar (a spice mix) finally arrived at Reyad Abusalim's bakery in Calgary during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, he was overcome with excitement.
"It almost brought tears to my eyes," he said.
"Olive oil, specifically, and olives are tied to the people and the land, so when you're able to get it all the way here in Calgary ... that's an amazing feeling."
"It's hard for people to travel [within the region], let alone products in that part of the world."
Abusalim's Palestinian family runs Philistine's Bakery, which opened in the city's northeast last December.
He placed the order for products through Watani and Sons Corp., a Canadian importer of Palestinian goods, months ago, but the shipment kept getting delayed due to the war. He had almost forgotten about it altogether.
So when Abusalim finally received those products, he was overjoyed. Now, he can't keep them on the shelves.
He said the response was "phenomenal" — and not just from Calgarians.
Abusalim got calls from interested customers in Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Vancouver, and Winnipeg to name a few.
"Felt like people were calling from all over the country," Abusalim said.
"People wanted to support Palestinian farmers directly and it was amazing."
Within a week, Abusalim's stock of one-litre olive oil bottles had sold out.
Watany Ben Jamil Freij, the importer based in Ottawa, explained the shipping delay was caused an obstacle-ridden journey from Palestinian farms to Canada — one made even more difficult due to the war.
The first challenge, he said, is that farmers are afraid to travel out to their farmland. The olive oil season begins Oct. 15, but especially in October 2023, widespread fear and violence prevented many from being able to tend their crops.
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