In Taybeh, a Palestinian village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank where water runs once a week and settler attacks are a constant threat, the oldest microbrewery in the Middle East is defying all the odds to launch a new beer in the UK.
With the situation in the region at its worst in decades – and Taybeh Brewing Co. unable to export freely because of checkpoint delays, customs restrictions and soaring operational costs under occupation – its new lager, Sun & Stone, will reach British drinkers through a partnership with Brewgooder.
Brewed by the Scottish B-Corp and Taybeh’s Madees Khoury, the region’s first and only female brewmaster, the beer is now available to buy on Brewgooder’s website. It has also secured a major national listing with Co-op, just months after its members voted to end trade with Israeli businesses.
Brewgooder is brewing the beer in solidarity with Taybeh at zero profit, with proceeds giving Taybeh’s local community a vital source of income in the face of severe challenges, and helping the the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a charity which supports conflict-affected communities across the Middle East, including the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Palestine’s first microbrewery continues to achieve international acclaim despite the myriad problems caused by the escalating conflict.
Speaking earlier this month, Madees said: “This is the worst the situation has been for decades. Recently settlers set two cars on fire and spray-painted threats in Hebrew. They tried to jump the wall into people’s homes. If the houses had been empty, they would have burned them.
“Three towns near us were attacked early in the morning. Cars were set on fire. Soldiers threw tear gas. One person from the neighbouring town died because he suffocated from the tear gas.
“Things are getting worse, but we’re still here, still making beer. Because what else can we do but keep going? Our brewery provides jobs and much-needed distraction. It tells a story – it shows a side of Palestine that people do not always see.”
The 39-year-old continued: “During the Second Intifada, the roads were blocked and people couldn’t move around. My father was so determined to get beer to customers he had a donkey carry cases past the checkpoint to reach the other side so they wouldn’t run out. We always find a way, and this partnership with our friends at Brewgooder, which will help us provide beer to the UK, is another example of that.”
Taybeh has been brewing under occupation for most of Canaan Khoury’s life. Now 33, the Harvard-trained mechanical engineer has returned to the West Bank to run the family brewery with his sister, alongside their father Nadim and uncle David who co-founded it after the Oslo Accords in 1994.
Canaan said: “We are brewing in a state of complete uncertainty. We joke darkly that we’re building a brewery for settlers to take one day – but still, we build.
“Life has descended into total anarchy. There is no protection from any government authority, Palestinian or Israeli.
“The Palestinian police cannot enter our village without Israeli permission. The Israeli army is here only to defend the settlers, not us. The people who attack us are supported by the army.
“You start thinking about how to protect yourself: Do you run? Do you stay? It is very dystopian. But we choose to stay, as this is our home.”
James Hughes, co-founder of the Glasgow-founded B Corp Brewgooder, read about the brewery in a news article two years ago. He reached out with an idea: to collaborate on a Mediterranean-style lager that could be brewed in the UK to circumvent the restrictions the brewery is facing while sharing its story and providing Taybeh with new prospects.
James said: “When we first read about Taybeh, we were completely moved by their resilience. They’re incredible people who deserve to have their story told and their beer enjoyed around the world. “We see this as a chance not just to stand by a brewery we admire, but to also share a perspective of Palestine that is not often seen, while helping to support humanitarian aid in Gaza and elsewhere where the suffering is unimaginably unjust.
“We’re proud to stand beside them and use our business to support theirs. Every can of this beer carries their voice further and provides essential funds to those who need it most.”
Sun & Stone, named by Taybeh in reference to the region’s warm climate and abundance of limestone, will launch in Co-op from 10th September. The 1,600 store national listing is the largest such beer launch since Chernigivske which raised funds for the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Paul Gerrard, Co-op’s Director of Campaigns, Public Affairs and Policy, said: “We have a longstanding legacy of supporting communities and know the positive impact co-operation can have in fostering long term recovery in regions affected by conflict.
“The Brewgooder and Taybeh beer is such a great initiative to support economic stability and we’re proud to be able to sell the beer in our stores and donate the profits.”
Cans of Sun & Stone Lager, featuring artwork by Levantine illustrator Nourie Flayhan, are now available at brewgooder.com.