Our farm is cared for by a Singaporean woman and a Lebanese man whose paths first crossed in Oman in the early 1990s. What began as a chance meeting became a lifetime of adventure, built on curiosity, love, and a beautiful blend of cultures.

Together, their deep appreciation for the Levantine landscape inspired them to uncover the traditions of the region's earliest olive growers; learning how generations before them cultivated the land and pressed olives using time-honoured methods that have endured for centuries.

Their story is a reminder that culture is something to be celebrated, shared, and preserved. It invites us to find beauty in traditions beyond our own and, through food, discover that they have a way of becoming part of us too.

Every October, after the earth welcomes its first autumn rain, our olive trees awaken.

Families, neighbours, and seasonal workers gather beneath their branches to harvest each olive by hand; a tradition that has been passed down in the Levante for generations, long before modern machinery transformed the landscape.

We choose to harvest this way because we believe the trees deserve our patience and respect. While slower and more demanding, hand-picking preserves the integrity of the fruit, honours the land, and keeps centuries-old traditions alive.

Harvest season is hard work, but it is also a celebration. It is a time when stories are exchanged between rows of olive trees, meals are shared under open skies, and knowledge is passed from one generation to the next.

For many in our community, including the refugees who live and work alongside us, the harvest also provides meaningful seasonal employment and an important source of income.

This is why we do what we do.