Press | Food Heritage Foundation

Bechara’s mother sorting olives

Bechara is the owner of the olive mill in Aitanit. During the olive harvesting season, the mill is like a beehive! People wait for their turn to squeeze their harvest into a fine olive oil.

Bechara, on the right, explaining to his visitors how olive oil is extracted

The mill comprises two parts: an old traditional press where visitors can watch every step of the process, and a new mechanical press where only one can see the olives entering the machine from one side and the virgin olive oil going out from another.

The traditional press: olive paste is spread on disks in order to extract oil

Bechara not only presses olives, but he makes baladi soap and transforms the solid olive mill waste into “briquettes” which make a great substitute for food logs. Briquettes are used to light fire in chimneys and ovens.

Green and black olives to be squeezed