A Summary of the Best Israeli Olive Oil

Olive oil production in Israel dates back thousands of years, but the modern production of Israeli olive oil is relatively recent.  The Israeli olive oil industry has exploded over the last ten years, and there are now many wonderful boutique olive oils from which to choose. The best way to know Israeli olive oil is to visit the oil mills and producers nationwide.  I only use olive oil and coconut oil for cooking and baking. I recently stopped buying olive oil from the supermarket after discovering that much of the cheaper olive oil in Israel is very low-quality and not sold in the European market. Buying premium Israeli olive oils directly from olive oil farms is more economical and also provides an opportunity to meet the producers and try their olive oil in person.

Here is my list of the top ten Israeli Olive Oil:

1. Rish Lakish, Tzippori, Galil

A family-run olive press using olives that are hand-picked around the ancient village of Tzippori. Rish Lakish olive oil is organic, extra virgin, cold pressed, kosher, and currently my favorite Israeli olive oil. The olive mill and tasting room are in a sustainable building, and the environmentally friendly farm has an organic vegetable garden. I particularly love the rosemary-infused, lime-infused olive oil and the home-cured olives. The Coratina olive oil won the 2023 Extra Gold Biol award for Israel’s best organic extra virgin olive oil.

Family member Ayala Noy Meir is a professional olive oil taster and head of the panel of the International Olive Oil Council. She wrote a fascinating Brief History of Olives and Olive Oil in Israel. I have had tastings at several olive mills in Israel, and the tasting at Rish Lakish with Ayala was the most interesting and educational.

I recommend visiting the nearby Tzipori National Park (Zippori, Saffuriya, Sepphoris), believed to be the birthplace of Mary, the mother of Jesus, the seat of the Sanhedrin, and the place where the Mishna was completed.

2. Masik, Kibbutz Magal, Coastal Plain

This is probably the most readily available boutique olive oil brand in Israel, as it is sold in delicatessens and health food stores nationwide. Masik olive oil is a single-estate, extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil made from olives grown on Kibbutz Magal. They produce Leccino, Arbequina, Picual, Koroneiki, Askal, and Coratina varieties. I usually prefer the Askal, which is peppery and strong without being bitter. They also make a great organic blend and a house blend.

There is a great visitor center where you can learn how olive oil is made and taste the different varieties of olive oil and the fantastic fresh almonds.

3. Sindyanna of Galilee, Kafr Kanna, Galil

Sindyanna is an inspiring nonprofit organization that produces excellent olive oil. The olive oil and other products are made by a collective of local Arab women, and the organization also trains local women in hydroponic agriculture. The Hopeful Organic Barnea and Peaceful Organic Oils have won the Biol award for the world’s best organic extra virgin olive oil. Sindyanna products can be ordered on Amazon US.

Visitors can learn about the organization and taste and buy olive oil, za’atar, honey, and delicious carob syrup. The visitor’s center also offers basket weaving, cookery, and zaatar-making workshops. It is located in Kafr Kanna, where Jesus is believed to have turned water into wine, and where the Franciscan Wedding Church is.

4. Eretz Gshur, Kibbutz Gshur, Golan

This modern olive oil factory is located in Kibbutz Gshur in the Southern Golan. Tours of Eretz Gshur must be booked in advance, but there is a large shop, and visitors can taste and buy olive oil during work hours. If you visit during the harvest season, you can see the olive oil production in person, as the visitor’s center is inside the mill.

5. Galili, Beit Lehem Haglilit, Galil

Galili is a family-run olive press on a small Moshav Beit Lehem Haglilit (Bethlehem of Galilee) farm. It uses an ecological system from Tuscany that makes olive oil without water. This process reduces the environmentally damaging waste produced by traditional olive oil mills and increases the oil’s nutritional benefits. The olives are picked from a 20-year-old organic olive grove on the edge of a nearby ancient oak forest.

The visitors’ center includes a video on the olive oil-making process and the opportunity to try olive oil and other local products.

I recommend visiting Derech Hatavlinim in Bet Lechem Hagalilit. It is a fantastic spice warehouse with over a thousand herbs, spices, and dried fruits, and it offers tours of the herb fields.

6. Meshek Hilman, Moshav Nov, Golan

This is one of the simplest olive oil producers I have visited, but that does not reflect on the quality of the olive oil. With advance notice, visitors can taste and buy olive oil, honey, and soap from Meshek Hilman on Moshav Nov in the Southern Golan. It is the same Moshav as Gillis meat restaurant, so visiting on your way to a meat feast is convenient.

7. Lavi, Hoshaya, Galil

Lavi is a family-run olive oil producer in Hoshaya in the Galil. The olive trees are located in the nearby valley, and the olive oil won a Silver Medal at the EVO International Olive Oil Contest in Italy in 2023.

8. Ptora, Negev

Ptora in Moshav Sde Moshe in the Negev is a sustainable extra-virgin olive oil business run by the Tamir family, producing wine, honey, spreads, jams, olives, and tahina. Ptora’s flagship oil is made from Nabali olives, an olive variety without any genetic modification, and produces a deep-tasting oil. The oil is a Gold Award winner at the World Olive Oil Competition.

Ido Tamir is certified as an official taster by the International Olive Council. Ptora does not have a visitors center but sells packages of their products all over Israel.

9. Olea Essence, Golan

This olive oil farm in Katzrin, in the Golan, produces natural, organic, and ecological olive oil. The farm also makes olive-based skincare that is eco-responsible and entirely natural, and it ensures that the olive residue is not left to harm the environment.

Along with pure olive oil, Olea Essence produces basil, garlic, lemon olive oil,  wildflower honey, silan, and za’atar. Olea offers international shipping.

10. Bad VeShemen Jerusalem Olive Oil (BVS), Coastal Plain

Bad VeShemen (BVS) is a family-run, eco-friendly olive mill on Moshav Beit Hanan near Ness Ziona. The oil is produced by cold pressing Coratina, Picholine, and Barnea olives. BVS also has a selection of seasoned olive oils, including lemon, basil, chipotle, za’atar, and kumquat. Some flavors are available for delivery from Amazon US.

Other Israeli Olive Oil

• Amox is an olive oil producer in Misgav near Karmiel.
• Anshei HaZayit (The Olive People) is an olive oil producer on Moshav Sde Uziyahu near Ashdod. Its products can be found in stores across Israel, at the factory shop, or online.
• Assi is an olive oil producer in Beit She’an.
• Avtalion is an olive oil mill in the Lower Galil.
• Carmey Golan (Badatz Ruben) on Moshav Nov in the Southern Golan produces olive oil, spreads, almonds, and olives.
• Ets Hasade is a large olive oil farm in Binyamina Giv’at Ada, near Caesarea. The Koroneiki oil won a Gold Medal at EVO 2023.
• Jahshan is an olive oil farm on Moshav Kalanit in the Galil.
• Levant is a fourth-generation olive oil farm on Moshav Avihayil near Netanya, established in 1932. The farm produces a selection of olive oil blends, all certified vegan and mehadrin.
• Meshek Achiya in Shilo is a large olive oil producer that also produces olives, wine, dips, jam, tahina, halva, honey, and spices.
• Meshek Haviv is a family-run winery and olive farm in Pa’amei Tashaz near Netivot.
• Neot Smadar is a Negev-based farm producing wine, olive oil, healthy juices, dates, and organic snacks.
• Terra Nova is an olive oil made by Terra Nova Winery on Moshav Kanaf in the Southern Golan.
• Tura is an olive oil produced by Tura Winery Estate in Rechelim, the Shomron.

I would love to hear your feedback about the olive oils you like in Israel and the olive farms you have visited. Please comment below or share a review in the Restaurant Club Israel Facebook group.

Here is some information about visiting wineries around Israel:

• Top 10 Winery Visits in Northern Israel

• Top 10 Jerusalem Area Winery Visits

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