On the value of Lebanese olive oil

Olive trees have their homes around the Mediterranean Sea. Britannica says they are cultivated commercially in two world-spanning climate belts between approximately the 30th and 45th latitudes North and South. Hundreds of varieties have been recorded and are grown for table use and olive oil production. For increased fruit bearing productivity, varieties are subjected to human involvement in their propagation, yet have spread across borders without prejudice of nation or race. Northern olive farmers tell Executive that the number of extant varieties in Lebanon and their ratios per growing region are not known but say the small and resilient local “Airouni” variety coexists in the same groves with Italian and Spanish peers. For our photo essay, Executive photo journalist Mark Fayad visited groves in Chabtine (above), Kfifan, and Kfar Helda in the hills east of Batroun. The operational base of olive oil farmer Rouhana Bassil, who was interviewed for this