Jordanian Olive Oil: Nabali, Rumi and What Reaches Export
Jordanian olive oil comes from the region where the olive was first domesticated, and it is one of the least exported oils in the Mediterranean. Jordan grows olives on tens of thousands of hectares, keeps an ancient landrace its farmers call Rumi, and in 2025 saw UNESCO recognise the traditions around its ancient Al-Mihrass trees — yet only a few thousand tonnes of its oil leave the country in a typical year. On 3 October 2026 we read the International Olive Council's balance sheet [1] and variety catalogue [2], Jordan's latest olive mill survey [3], Jordanian ministry and standards notices [4][12] and the peer-reviewed genetics of Jordan's olives [7][8], and searched the EU's eAmbrosia register [14]. This guide explains the cultivars, the numbers, what actually reaches export, and how to judge a Jordanian bottle.
For our own oil, see our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml). It is a Moroccan oil, not a Jordanian one, and this guide is written so you can judge a Jordanian bottle on its own terms.
The Short Answer
- The International Olive Council (IOC) estimates Jordan's 2025/26 olive oil production at 23,500 tonnes, with 19,500 tonnes eaten at home and 3,000 tonnes exported — well under 1% of a 3,440,000-tonne world crop [1].
- Jordan's Department of Statistics later counted just 16,342 tonnes of oil from the 2025 season — down 54.4% on 2024 and the lowest since 2009 [3].
- The main cultivars are Nabali Baladi and Nabali Muhassan, alongside very old trees known as Rumi (also written Romi), a name that refers back to the Roman era [7]. Nabali Baladi is the only Jordanian entry in the IOC's online variety catalogue [2].
- In 2025 UNESCO added the knowledge, skills and rituals around Jordan's ancient Al-Mihrass olive trees to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage [10].
- On 3 October 2026 the EU's eAmbrosia register held no Jordanian geographical indication — no EU PDO or PGI for Jordanian olive oil [14].
- Most Jordanian oil is sold at home, so on export shelves the origin line, cultivar and harvest date carry most of the information.
- Sidr & Stone's oil is a single-estate Moroccan extra virgin from outside Marrakech — judged by the same label checks set out below.
How Much Olive Oil Jordan Makes
Jordanian olive oil is oil pressed from olives grown in Jordan, overwhelmingly from local Levantine varieties such as Nabali, and Jordan is a small producer that consumes most of what it makes. The IOC balance adopted at its 122nd session in November 2025 — the latest on its statistics page on 3 October 2026 — gives these Jordanian figures [1]:
| Crop year | Production | Domestic consumption | Exports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 (final) | 25,000 t | 21,000 t | 4,000 t |
| 2024/25 (provisional) | 36,000 t | 30,000 t | 4,500 t |
| 2025/26 (estimate) | 23,500 t | 19,500 t | 3,000 t |
Jordan's national figures tell the same story with sharper edges. The Department of Statistics' olive mill survey, run with the Ministry of Agriculture and released in February 2026, found that 84,154 tonnes of olives were pressed in the 2025 season, giving 16,342 tonnes of oil — against 184,903 tonnes of olives and 35,828 tonnes of oil in 2024, and a 2012–2024 average of 24,923 tonnes of oil [3]. Of 153 mills, 149 operated. Irbid governorate led with about 5,500 tonnes of oil, followed by Ajloun with about 3,300 tonnes, both in the north [3].
The gap between the IOC's 23,500-tonne estimate and the national 16,342-tonne count is a matter of timing: the IOC balance was adopted before the 2025 season's pressing was finished. For scale, an IOC review cited by the Council puts Jordan's olive-growing area at about 64,000 hectares [15].
The Cultivars: Nabali Baladi, Nabali Muhassan and Rumi
Jordan's olive oil rests on a few local names that overlap more than a label suggests. A 2024 genetic study by Al-Kilani and colleagues in Frontiers in Plant Science summarises the earlier work: the predominant Jordanian cultivars include Nabali Baladi, Nabali Muhassan and Rasie, with many clones carrying different local names from region to region [7].
| Name | Also written | What the sources document |
|---|---|---|
| Nabali Baladi | Nabali, Nabali Balady | The only Jordanian variety in the IOC's online catalogue: medium vigour, upright growth, heavy fruit that turns dark violet at full maturity [2]. Regarded as one of the oldest Levantine cultivars, believed to have originated on the banks of the Jordan River [7]. |
| Nabali Muhassan | Nabali Muhasan, Nabali Mohassan | A second widely planted Nabali type; in Al-Kilani's analysis it clustered genetically with Nabali Baladi and the Kfari Baladi group [7]. |
| Rumi | Romi; the oldest trees are called Mehras or Mihrass | Centuries-old trees growing across Jordan, valued for adaptation to harsh conditions and the quality of their oil [7]; a local landrace name rather than a single catalogued cultivar. |
Nabali: the backbone
Nabali is Jordan's predominant olive, much as Chemlali is Tunisia's. Al-Kilani and colleagues note it is favoured for its resilience, its adaptation to dry environments and its resistance to various pathogens [7]. An early Jordanian study by Humeid, Takruri and Daqqaq (Nutrition and Health, 1991) followed Nabali olives through ripening and found that oil content rose as the fruit matured, and that Nabali oil is relatively high in arachidic, stearic and linoleic acids [9]. The same cultivars dominate across the river; our guide to Palestinian olive oil covers the published oil chemistry of Nabali Baladi and Nabali Muhasan in more depth.
Rumi and the Al-Mihrass trees
Rumi is the name Jordanian farmers give to their oldest olive trees, from the Arabic for "Roman" [7]. Slow Food's Ark of Taste, which lists the Rumi olive, describes trunks reaching about two metres across and a set of age names: oud for young trees, al-garoud for middle-aged ones and mehras for the oldest, massive-trunked trees [11]. In 2026, Al-Mohusaien and colleagues (International Journal of Molecular Sciences) analysed 19 'Mehras' accessions from northern Jordan and found moderate to high genetic diversity among them [8].
The culture around these trees is now formally recognised. UNESCO's 2025 inscription describes a harvest from October to early November in which families and neighbours pick by hand and with rakes, and a tradition called al-wanih in which songs are shared and olive oil is given as a gift [10].
What Reaches Export — and Why So Little
Jordan exports a small share of its olive oil. On the IOC's figures, exports ran at 4,000 tonnes in 2023/24, 4,500 tonnes in 2024/25 and an estimated 3,000 tonnes in 2025/26 — between about an eighth and a sixth of each year's production [1]. Most Jordanian oil is eaten in Jordanian kitchens, and much of it is bought by the tin: local reporting on the November 2025 shortfall quoted retail prices per 16-kilogram tin [4].
Domestic demand can outrun supply. In November 2025, facing a projected crop of 17,000–18,000 tonnes against annual needs of about 28,000 tonnes, the Ministry of Agriculture opened applications to import olive oil — limited to member states of the International Olive Council [4]. Olive Oil Times reported in February 2026 that approved imports had been expanded to 10,000 tonnes, with the first shipment arriving on 12 January 2026 and Tunisian oil among the imports [5]. In a year like that, a Jordanian bottle on a shelf abroad is rarer still.
The bottles that do travel tend to sell provenance. In January 2023 an association of Jordanian olive oil producers and exporters launched a brand called Ateek, built on oil from ancient Mehras trees, with support from the Netherlands and Mercy Corps; Salam Ayoub, a director of horticultural research, told Olive Oil Times that Mehras fruit can reach about 30% oil content [6]. Beyond brands like this, Jordanian oil abroad is mostly found through Middle Eastern grocers and specialist importers.
Standards and Labels: What a Jordanian Bottle Guarantees
Jordan is a member of the International Olive Council — it chaired the Council in 2022 [15] — so its grade definitions follow the IOC trade standard. The current revision, COI/T.15/NC No. 3/Rev. 22 of June 2026, defines extra virgin olive oil as virgin olive oil with a free acidity of not more than 0.80 grams per 100 grams, plus further chemical and sensory criteria [13].
At national level, the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization (JSMO) circulated a second draft of Jordanian Standard JS 3/2024, "Fats and Oils – Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oils", for stakeholder comment in April 2025 [12].
Because Jordan is outside the EU, it has no EU designation of origin. When we searched eAmbrosia on 3 October 2026, the register's country filter returned no Jordanian entry for food, wine or spirits [14]. Our guide to Turkish olive oil shows what a non-EU country with registered EU names looks like.
| Label wording | What it tells you | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| "Extra virgin olive oil" | The top grade: free acidity no more than 0.80 g/100 g and other IOC criteria [13] | How fresh the oil is today |
| "Product of Jordan" | The olives were grown and pressed in Jordan | Which region, grove or cultivar |
| A named cultivar (Nabali, Rumi) | The variety, and so a likely style | Quality or freshness on its own |
| "From ancient Mehras / Rumi trees" | A provenance story worth asking about | Grade or harvest date — check those separately |
| Harvest year or date | Which season the oil comes from | How it has been stored since |
How Jordanian Olive Oil Compares
Jordan sits among the smaller producers of the eastern Mediterranean. The IOC's 2025/26 estimates for a selection of producing countries read as follows [1]:
| Origin | Production | Domestic consumption | Exports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 450,000 t | 50,000 t | 300,000 t |
| Morocco (Sidr & Stone's origin) | 160,000 t | 160,000 t | 7,500 t |
| Syria | 95,000 t | 59,000 t | 38,000 t |
| Jordan | 23,500 t | 19,500 t | 3,000 t |
| Lebanon | 19,500 t | 14,500 t | 4,500 t |
| Palestine | 7,000 t | 9,000 t | 2,000 t |
Two patterns stand out. Tunisia exports most of what it makes, as our guide to Tunisian olive oil explains; Jordan, like Morocco, keeps most of its oil at home. Morocco, where our own grove is, is the closer parallel: a large domestic market, modest exports and a heritage of local cultivars, covered in our guide to Moroccan olive oil.
How to Buy Jordanian Olive Oil
Outside Jordan, the oil is usually found through Middle Eastern grocers, specialist importers and online shops, often in tins. Six checks do most of the work:
- Find "extra virgin" — not "olive oil", "pure" or "light".
- Read the origin line — "Jordan", not a blend statement.
- Look for the cultivar — Nabali or Rumi on the label is a good sign.
- Look for a region — Irbid, Ajloun or another named area beats a country alone.
- Check the harvest date, or at least a best-before date, and buy the most recent.
- Choose dark glass or a tin you will finish within a few months of opening.
For the same checks applied to any bottle, see our guide to choosing a quality olive oil.
The Honest Objections
"Isn't ancient-tree oil just a marketing story?"
Partly, it can be. A tree's age says nothing about the grade or freshness of a particular bottle. What the Mehras trees do have is documented genetic diversity [8] and cultural recognition [10]. Treat "ancient trees" as a reason to ask questions, then judge the oil on grade and harvest date.
"If Jordan had to import oil, is a Jordanian bottle really Jordanian?"
Imports in 2025/26 were licensed to meet domestic shortfall [4][5]; they do not change what a "Product of Jordan" label must mean. If origin matters to you, buy from a seller who names the producer or mill and the season, and be cautious of bottles with no traceable origin at all.
"You sell Moroccan oil — why write about Jordan?"
Because the label skills are the same, and a reader who can read a Jordanian bottle can judge ours too. We have no first-hand experience of Jordan's groves or mills, which is why every figure above is referenced.
Why Sidr & Stone
This article's argument is that origin is a promise you can check, not an adjective. Sidr & Stone's Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml) makes that promise at the narrowest level possible: one farm, our own, on the plains outside Marrakech, Morocco.
- Single-estate — Sidr & Stone's olive oil comes from our own family-owned farm near Marrakech, Morocco, and we control every step from tree to bottle, with no blending across origins.
- Rain-fed — our trees are not irrigated; they take what the season gives.
- Organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides are used (not yet certified; certification is in progress).
- Single harvest — a small, limited batch, picked when the fruit is ready; the current batch's harvest details are on the product page.
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest — mechanical extraction only, with no solvents, no refining and no deodorising.
- Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed, so it may show natural sediment, which is normal.
- 100% natural — a single ingredient, olive oil, with nothing blended in.
- Dark glass with a gold label — protective packaging against light.
- 10% of profits to charity — a brand-wide commitment.
- Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is better than a good Jordanian oil — a fresh Nabali from a careful northern mill is a fine thing, and Jordan's olive heritage is older than any brand. What we will say is that our oil is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown and cold-pressed within hours of harvest. For the wider case for one named grove, see our piece on single-estate olive oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jordanian olive oil good?
It can be excellent. Jordan grows long-established local cultivars such as Nabali; as with any origin, the grade, harvest date and storage decide how good a particular bottle is.
What olive varieties are grown in Jordan?
Mainly Nabali Baladi and Nabali Muhassan, alongside very old Rumi (or Romi) trees, whose oldest specimens are called Mehras. Nabali Baladi is the only Jordanian variety in the IOC's online catalogue.
What is the difference between Nabali and Rumi olives?
Nabali is a cultivar group grown across Jordan and the wider Levant. Rumi — "Roman" — is the local name for centuries-old trees, a diverse population rather than one catalogued variety.
Does Jordanian olive oil have a protected designation?
Not in the EU: eAmbrosia returned no Jordanian entries on 3 October 2026. UNESCO's 2025 inscription of the Al-Mihrass traditions is cultural recognition, not a product designation.
How much olive oil does Jordan export?
Only a few thousand tonnes a year: 4,000 tonnes in 2023/24 and an estimated 3,000 tonnes in 2025/26, according to the International Olive Council. Most of the crop is consumed in Jordan.
Is Jordanian olive oil better than Moroccan olive oil?
Neither is automatically better. Both countries consume most of their own oil and grow distinctive local cultivars; a good extra virgin from either should pass the same label checks.
Where can I buy a single-estate extra virgin olive oil?
Look for a producer that names one farm and sells only extra virgin. Our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml) is available to pre-order from the current single-harvest batch, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
Jordanian olive oil is a heritage crop that mostly stays at home. Its story runs from the mills of Irbid and Ajloun to Rumi trees named after the Romans, and its farmers' care for those trees now has UNESCO recognition. But production is small and swings with the rain, and in a dry year like 2025 Jordan imports oil rather than exports it.
That makes the back label more important, not less. Look for Jordan as the stated origin, a named cultivar or region, and a harvest date. Read those lines and you can choose a Jordanian oil well, or compare it fairly with any other origin — the same test we invite for our own bottle.
Our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml) — single-estate, rain-fed and cold-pressed within hours of harvest — is available to pre-order now as a limited single-harvest batch, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Our extra virgin olive oil is grown organically on our own single-estate farm on the plains outside Marrakech: we control every step from tree to bottle, and no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers are used. It is not yet certified organic — certification is in progress, and we will publish it as soon as it comes through.
References
- International Olive Council. World olive oil balance, 2023/24 – 2025/26 (document 122-HO-2025, adopted at the 122nd session of the Council of Members, November 2025). Accessed 3 October 2026. https://www.internationaloliveoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/122-HO-2025.pdf
- International Olive Council. World Catalogue of Olive Varieties: Nabali Baladi (Jordan); varieties fact sheet. Accessed 3 October 2026. https://worldolivecatalogue.internationaloliveoil.org/en/variety/jordan/nabali-baladi
- Jordan News Agency (Petra). "Olive oil output falls 54.4% in 2025 season, DoS survey shows" (Department of Statistics olive oil mill survey, with the Ministry of Agriculture), 17 February 2026. https://www.petra.gov.jo/en/news/olive-oil-output-falls-544-in-2025-season-dos-survey-shows
- Jordan News. "Jordan Begins Accepting Applications to Import Olive Oil from International Olive Council Member States", November 2025. https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-113/All/Jordan-Begins-Accepting-Applications-to-Import-Olive-Oil-from-International-Olive-Council-Member-States-46350
- DeAndreis P. "Jordan Expands Tunisian Olive Oil Imports as Drought Squeezes Local Supply". Olive Oil Times, 4 February 2026. https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/business/jordan-expands-tunisian-olive-oil-imports-as-drought-squeezes-local-supply/143241
- DeAndreis P. "Olive Oil Brand in Jordan Harnesses the Value in History". Olive Oil Times, 15 February 2023. https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/business/olive-oil-brand-in-jordan-harnesses-the-value-in-history/117264
- Al-Kilani MA, Taranto F, D'Agostino N, Montemurro C, Belaj A, Ayoub S, Albdaiwi R, Hasan S, Al-Abdallat AM. Evaluation of genetic diversity among olive trees (Olea europaea L.) from Jordan. Front Plant Sci. 2024;15:1437055. doi:10.3389/fpls.2024.1437055. PMID: 39166249.
- Al-Mohusaien RM, Sadder MT, Al-Taha'at E, Hamadneh BN, Al-Slaibi OA, Alkhatatbeh HA, Siam FA. Genetic and Phenotypic Variations Within Ancient 'Mehras' Olive (Olea europaea L.). Int J Mol Sci. 2026;27(11):5087. doi:10.3390/ijms27115087. PMID: 42278611.
- Humeid MA, Takruri HR, Daqqaq RF. Nabali olive oil ripening and oil properties. Nutr Health. 1991;7(3):151-154. doi:10.1177/026010609100700304. PMID: 1923072.
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. "Al-Mihrass tree: knowledge, skills and rituals associated with it" (Jordan), inscribed 2025 on the Representative List, decision 20.COM 7.b.28. Accessed 3 October 2026. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/02276
- Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. Ark of Taste: Rumi olive. Accessed 3 October 2026. https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/rumi-olive/
- Amman Chamber of Industry. "Jordanian Standard Specification for Fats and Oils – Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oils" (JSMO draft JS 3/2024, second draft for comment), circular of 8 April 2025. https://aci.org.jo/News/key_circulars/129138.aspx
- International Olive Council. Trade Standard Applying to Olive Oils and Olive Pomace Oils, COI/T.15/NC No. 3/Rev. 22, June 2026. https://www.internationaloliveoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/TRADE-STANDARD-REV-22_EN.pdf
- European Commission. eAmbrosia — the EU geographical indications register (all product types, country filter). Accessed 3 October 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/
- International Olive Council. "Jordan is welcome IOC's chair in 2022", 31 December 2021 (citing OLIVAE no. 126). https://www.internationaloliveoil.org/jordan-is-welcome-iocs-chair-in-2022
Disclaimer: This article describes Jordanian olive oil production, cultivars and labelling using International Olive Council, Jordanian government, UNESCO and European Commission sources as they stood on 3 October 2026; forecasts and statistics are revised regularly, and standards, register entries and regulations may change, so readers should check current sources. References to Jordanian regions, organisations and brands are made in good faith and in fair terms and imply no affiliation. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.