w a y t o m o v e f o r w a r d i s t o a c k n o w l e d g e t h e p a s t
Property
L E M
El Jem or El Djem (in Arabic: الجم) is a town located at the gates of the Sahel region.
Administratively attached to the governorate of Mahdia, it is a municipality with 21,234 inhabitants in 2014.
Founded on the ruins of the ancient city of Thysdrus or Thysdritania colonia, it is famous for its amphitheater, the largest in the Roman Empire (between 27,000 and 30,000 spectators) after the Colosseum in Rome (45,000 spectators) and that of Capua. It has hosted the El Jem International Symphonic Music Festival every summer since 1985.
f r a g m e t f h i s t o r y
In ancient times, olive oil making involved several distinct steps of rinsing, pit removal, and open-air stone milling to extract the oil. The leftover pulp was placed into woven bags or baskets and pressed to extract additional oil.
Hot water was then poured over the bags to extract the maximum amount of residual oil.
u r a p p r a c t o d a y
In keeping with our goal of producing the highest quality oil without regard for maximizing quantity, El Jem Olive oil picks and sorts our olives early in the season while they are mostly still green, thus ensuring the highest possible polyphenol content. We pay special attention to rush each batch of sorted olives to the mill, minimizing the time from tree to oil.
To further preserve the quality of the oil, we store it under nitrogen and temperature control and only bottle it immediately prior to shipping.
It is only by combining traditional methods with modern technology and rigorously controlling each step from planting to bottling that El Jem was able to achieve global recognition for the consistent quality of our premium olive oil.
The you can hold in your hands contains not only the history of centuries of oil-making tradition but also the actual earth that has given life to olives that produced El Jem olive oil.
Creating a premium oil is a matter of admiring the fruit it comes from
Recognition of tradition & expertise
"Enrich your life with
El Jem Extra Virgin Olive"
Over a century of oil stories
u r f a m i y ’ u n t i r i n g c o t e n t h a s m a d e E l J e m b r a n d s y n o n y m o u s w i t h q u a l i t y o l i v e o i l
The bond between Haj Ali family and olive oil is as old as our olive trees, with deep, firm roots in El Jem region. Over a hundred years of tradition, and the constant commitment of our generations, helped us grow and become established, making El Jem into one of the leading olive oil production estates in Tunisia
Our story begins in El Jem in 1945 where, thanks to his entrepreneurial initiative, grand father Haj Ali began to plant the olives.
His son AJMI would revolutionize the family business at the end of the 45s, choosing to focus exclusively on producing oil for family needs & uses, which over time has become synonymous with quality olive oil – into a well-known brand even outside regional border.
m i B c h i a a s s i o n & i n s a i o n s
Omi Bchira, or as we call her, BACHAR, is exactly what you’d imagine an amazing grandma to be. She always makes sure there is enough food, and that no one is cold. In addition, Bachar prefers to hand pick olives, so the care of the youngest trees is in her hands. As she is passionate, she spends a lot of time helping out in the olive fields, from the planting of the newest trees to their harvest – she has done it all. When she’s not busy with the olive trees, Bachar is usually caring for all the family.
Family knowledge
f l a v o u t a t i s t h e f r f a n c i e n t k n o w l e d g e , o r i g i n a t i n g f r o m a l o n g f a m i l y t r a d i t i o n
The quality of El Jem olive oil products stems from ancient knowledge. A passion for oil, handed down from generation to generation, from father to son, and which inevitably proved contagious for everyone in the company. An understanding of oil based on a constantly-evolving mind-map, made up of qualities, bouquets and flavours which change from one place to another, based on which variety (or cultivar), which oil press and which production techniques are used.
f y o u w n t t o c o n t a c t u J s t s e n d a m e s s a g e
