Toothpicked foie gras flew off the stands, mixed with complimentary swigs of wine and miniature fruit tarts. Lebanon’s top food industry professionals – from hotel management firms to cake design companies and more – have set up their booths in the massive Biel complex on the Beirut seaside for the delicious Horeca 2014 hospitality mega-event. But speckled among the grandiose stages are modest stands manned by members of Lebanon’s small farming cooperatives. From the Chouf, the Beqaa, Tyre, Tripoli, and other Lebanese regions, these farming cooperatives have displayed the best of their organic products to network with potential exporters and compete with the big brands.
And compete they did. After taste tests by eight international judges, the Dar Bechtar Cooperative from al-Koura in Lebanon’s north took the prize for the nation’s best extra virgin olive oil, beating out 50 national competitors.
Despite being surrounded by major hospitality corporations and established food industry companies, none of the cooperatives’ members seemed the least bit intimidated. “We do feel there’s a difference between us,” says Wafaa Jamal, a member of the Najmet Al Sobeh Cooperative in Mhaidseh, in Lebanon’s Beqaa. Surrounded by crunchy roasted nuts and crimson raisins, Jamal told NOW that the cooperatives have less of a focus on financial gain than the larger companies present at Horeca. “We make money too, but not the way they do.”
Daad Ismail, originally from Ras al-Ain outside of Tyre, told NOW she’d rather work with a small cooperative than a large company. “We hope the big companies are successful, too. At the same time, we want our co-op to stay like a creative, cooperative group of women,” she said. “The work that we do is innovation. We don’t want to be a big company.”
Ismail is a member of the Tyros Local Action Group, a collective of over 12 different cooperatives based around the southern city of Tyre. She said she’s proud of the jams, honeys, and various fruit preserves that she and her colleagues produce because of their nutritional value. “We take this all from the earth, and that’s what we work with,” she said. “Even before we provide the society with these products, we’re feeding our families – and we’re happy we can give our families something clean, healthy, and probably cheaper.” According to Ismail, Ras al-Ain even has a miniature testing lab, used by locals to identify nutritional values and acidity levels in the organic snacks.
Next to Ismail’s tasty treats were small mountains of organically-made and beautifully scented soap squares. Khodr Salhan, also from the Tyros Local Action Group, was adamant that his soap products were far better than any beauty product available at superstores. “We’ve added natural olive oil, milk, and honey – you can use these soaps instead of beauty products,” he told NOW.
Organic products from local cooperatives have replaced the usual processed snacks in many communities. In Jamal’s village of Mhaidseh, children opt for the dried seeds, preserved fruit, and sweet jams over packaged potato chips. Jamal says mothers are happy because the options are healthier, and that kids are drawn in by the local products’ cheap prices. Packages of thyme, sumac, or raisins can be as inexpensive as 1,500LL.
Most of the local cooperatives represented at Horeca were supported by the Lebanon Industry Value Chain Development Project (LIVCD), a USAID program designed to support small businesses in rural areas in Lebanon. According to Charbel Daher, one of the program’s production specialists, LIVCD works with Lebanese farmers and cooperatives to identify exporting opportunities, improve marketing strategies, and encourage rural tourism throughout Lebanon’s farming areas. Both the Dar Bechtar Cooperative from Koura and Jamal’s Najmet Al Sobeh Cooperative received support from LIVCD, which helped groups develop their pitches for potential exporters. “We’re here to network,” Jamal told NOW. “We’re happy to have this opportunity because it’s hard for us to get here.”
But for many of the rural women represented at Horeca, working in local cooperatives is about so much more than healthy snacks and networking opportunities. According to Jamal, getting involved in local cooperatives “changes the role of women in society.” Instead of being confined to the household and receiving spending money from husbands or brothers, women are becoming increasingly financially independent. They are now able to purchase medicine, pay school tuitions for their children, and be a contributing member of the family. Their personalities are even becoming stronger, Ismail said.
“I can contribute to buying things for my household,” Jamal proudly told NOW. “Even if it’s a really modest income, now we feel like we’re columns of support for our families.”
“The women have challenged society, we’ve challenged the men – but in a positive way,” Jamal said. “We’re sending a message. With our work and our convictions, we’re bringing something to the women in the area. We have a lot of pride in what we’re doing.”
Source: Lebanon Now