From the West Bank to Western Canada: How these Palestinian goods made their way to Calgary — just in time

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.

Checkpoints, new regulations, and a long journey to travel

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.

Then there's the matter of Israeli military checkpoints — many newly constructed in the last year and a half — that slow down movement across the region.

"A trip that's supposed to take half an hour, it will take a day because of the checkpoint," Ben Jamil Freij said. "So you have to take different routes to get to the location."

Numerous security checks later, he said the cargo was also subject to newer regulations about mixed-good shipments.

"We have to separate the oil from the olives. ... We couldn't mix the different spices together," he said. "We bring za'atar and some other spices like sumac ... we couldn't mix those. Every pallet has to be [of] one kind."

'This olive oil is part of my DNA'

But while the cargo's journey is long and winding, Ben Jamil Freij said it's a deeply important one for him to facilitate.

"We are living in a place where it's not our homeland [Canada] and we have to still be connected to the land that we belong to," he said. "There is no other means for us to be connected other than dealing with our families who are living there and the only way we can help is [by] helping them succeed."

"When we are buying produce from farmers like olive oil, whatever it is, we are really holding our people. It's the connection to Palestine," he said. 

Ben Jamil Freij's father was an olive farmer in Kafr Qasim, an Arab city east of Tel Aviv. For him, the significance of olive oil runs deep.

"I tell my kids this olive oil is part of my DNA. I can communicate with this olive oil. It knows me and I know it."

Abusalim's grandfather was also an olive farmer in the West Bank.

"It's our official badge of honor," he said. "Those olive trees significantly represent 5,000 years of… Palestinian culture on that land."

Serving a taste of home

Currently operating in its first Ramadan, Abusalim said Philistine's Bakery comes alive particularly close to sunset, when Muslims break their fast.

And the shop's signature dish is kunafa, a traditional Palestinian pastry made with dough topped with a sweet syrup and the most important ingredient: Nabulsi cheese, imported from the city of Nablus in the West Bank.

Twists on the dish, like their kunafa cheesecake and strawberry pistachio kunafa cup, are some of Azhar Abou Mehrem's favourite desserts; she visits the bakery weekly with friends and family, especially now, during Ramadan.

Abou Mehrem, who is Palestinian-Jordanian, has never been back home. For her, the Calgary bakery is a way to connect with her roots.

"When I go there, I feel like I'm home with my community and [have] the taste of home."

Philistine's Bakery offered extended hours during the month to accommodate Muslims who were fasting to enjoy their desserts late into the day, and Abusalim said his business has been embraced by community members since its opening.

As the sun sets on this Ramadan, Abusalim said that although the goods from back home were delayed, they really "came at the perfect time."