Souri, Lebanon’s flagship olive variety

The olive tree, one of the oldest and most important domesticated crops, has evolved naturally over

time giving way to hundreds of olive varieties, identified by their place of origin, differentiated by their

unique characteristics and classified by their suitability for eating or oil extraction.

Souri olive variety is an ancient species, autochthonous to the eastern Mediterranean region and

originating from Lebanon. It’s named after the town of Sour (Tyre) in southern Lebanon where it was

initially grown, but is relatively widespread in the Levant area. This indigenous olive variety has been

cultivated traditionally under rain-fed conditions in Lebanon for hundreds of years. Souri olives were

grown mainly in single variety orchards planted for generations around mountain villages, and still

represent a vast majority of the olives groves in the country till date.

The Souri cultivar is a versatile, climate-resilient and drought-tolerant olive variety that is highly

adaptable to shallow and stony marginal soils; and as such is ideally suited for the astringent growth

conditions of local traditional agriculture.

The Souri is a dual-purpose cultivar characterized by an exceptionally aromatic flavor and a high oil yield.

Its fruit has a distinct pungent flavor and a firm texture that provides for superb table olives; and a

particularly rich oil content (25%-30%), that makes for excellent monovarietal olive oils, typically robust

with a peppery finish, that constitute the corner stone of the local olive oil industry.

Zeytna portfolio is exclusively derived from the Souri variety, whether for table olives or olive oils, to

carry the authentic Lebanese touch and feel.