Palestinian Soap Cooperative: Nablus Olive Oil Soap

🍉 20% of proceeds will be donated to The PCRF 🍉

The Olive • al-Zaytoon; الزيتون
The Tbeleih family's Nablus Soap Company dates back to the 1600s!
Theirs is the only soap made with certified organic olive oil. Certified Fair Trade.

The Land • al-Ard; الأرض
Made by the Women's Soap Co-operative of Beita, just south of Nablus. The newest of the Nablus soap brands, al-Ard are true gems. Since they work in relatively small batches and are connected with many local small producers, their olive oil is often among the very best. The cooperative's equipment is all stainless steel and run electrically, compared with other brands which use gas or wood burning furnaces to cook their soap. Rather than hand stamping their bars, the Co-op uses a press machine that makes a deep and visible imprint. Al-Ard's main market is in northern Palestine, in the areas around Nazareth and Jenin.

The Camel / al-Jamal; الجمل
Made in the Shaka'a family-owned workshop in Nablus, The Camel is the most iconic imprint of Nablus soap --- often people refer to 'al-Jamal soap' to mean Nablus soap in the same way that people talk of Jacuzzi for hot tubs or Xerox for copy machines. Its main market is in southern Palestine around Hebron. The imprint took its mascot from the camel trains used to carry in qilw soda ash and olive oil to Nablus from neighboring countrysides.

The Two Keys • al-Mufftahein; المفتاحين
The Two Keys imprint is made in the historic Touqan family workshop in Nablus. Their original factory, as well as their family company, is more than 800 years old and a famous institution of Palestine, located in the center of the old city of Nablus. If al-Jamal has the greatest international recognition, the Two Keys imprint are known for the generous size of their bars which often exceed 5 oz. The Two Keys' primary market is in central Palestine in the areas around Nablus.

The Almond (al-Lauwz; اللوز)
This is the first traditional Nabulsi soap that has a natural scent, achieved by changing the soap making ratio to 7% almond and 93% olive. The Tbeleh family, which has operated since the year 1611, makes The Almond soap specially for the Palestinian Soap Cooperative. Made in Nablus, Palestine. Certified Organic. 

All the Nablus soaps are cooked in the traditional style out of olive oil, water, and soda, resulting in a soda-less bar of pure saponified olive oil.

Approximately 2 x 3 x 3 inches and weigh 5 ounces on average.

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Olive oil soap gets better with age. Keep them in a dry place for an increasingly olive-tan colored, dense, sudsy, and less soap-smelling bar. They can be aged even faster in a sunny window.

Learn more about their traditional soap-making practices here.