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Olive oil bridges borders in Cyprus - 21st February 2020

The proverbial olive branch has become a real life force for peace as Cypriot farmers unite to produce the golden oil.

The divided island has operated as two separate Turkish and Greek zones since a 1974 military coup set on uniting Cyprus with Greece precipitated a Turkish invasion. Despite attempts at reunification, talks have been suspended since 2017.

The same year witnessed two friends found a company spanning the political divide. Coliveoil, a business run by Hasan Siber, a Turkish Cypriot, and Greek-Cypriot Alexandros Philippides, uses olives grown across the island to manufacture and sell their own olive oil.

Such examples of cooperation across the two communities are rare.

Alexandros Philippides: "Coliveoil is trying to promote the peace process in Cyprus through a common goal that we have, a common staple that has been shared by the two communities, which is olive oil."

The enterprise is, however, fraught with bureaucracy as under current regulations, northern Cypriot olives are unable to qualify as organic inside the EU.

And since Northern Cyprus isn’t internationally recognised, when crossing the checkpoint Coliveoil is required to show passports and present documentation for the olives.

More than a symbolic act of reconciliation, the mixing of the olives from North and South together at the mill is under threat as the two friends are unable to label their coproduction as organic, meaning they now have to consider marketing the olives separately.