Namliyeh: Locally sourced, healthy, and environmentally friendly

AMMAN — Namliyeh, a small business in Amman, procures fruits, honey and herbs from the many small fruit and honey farms located outside of the capital, which struggle to sell their produce to markets inside Amman, to make and sell over 100 types of locally sourced artisan jams, botanical teas and raw honey.اضافة اعلان

On each jar, you will find the name of the product, what region it is from, how high said location is from sea level, as well as the ingredients.



Namliyeh was established in 2012 by Manal Abushmais and Aya Shaban, two architectural engineering graduates with a passion for agriculture and demonstrating the multifariousness of produces from all over Jordan.



The word “Namliyeh” means a well-stocked cabinet that was used to store jarred goods in the Levant region pre-electricity, and is still used in some Arab houses to this day. The Arabic word is derived from the word “namleh”, which means ant, in reference to the food stock collected by ants all year long.

“Over the years people have become more aware of the negative effects of sugar on their health,” Nesreen, a longtime employee of the store, located in Jabal Luweibdeh, told Jordan News. Namliyeh wanted to make products that are organic and do not have a substantial amount of sugar or preservatives, while helping small farm owners at the same time.

Mohammad Barroq, a person who tried one of the honey products told Jordan News that “the honey was really good. It’s actually hard to find well-crafted honey here in Jordan and it’s easy to know it is natural honey, because you can’t taste the sugar in it; it is sweet but not overly sweet.”
Honeys sold at Namliyeh are produced by several small-scale beekeepers from various parts across the Kingdom, particularly in Irbid and Ajloun Govornorate’s Anjara, according to Nisreen. The honey is nutritional, mostly organic, and seasonal, the store employee said.

In their efforts to help the country’s rural communities, Namliyeh works with a local nonprofit organization based in Anjara, called “Al-Amani Society,” which trains women and children to pick, clean and pack wild herbs to secure an income for themselves. Namliyeh then purchases the herbs and makes its own blend. “We are constantly searching and educating ourselves on new ways to make jams with close to no sugar of any sort,” Nesreen, told Jordan News.
“In the last decade, people have become more adamant on consuming local products, and have become aware of the struggle of people in the agricultural sector,” Nesreen added.

“I would say, one of my favorite things about the packaging of the products is that it’s environmentally friendly and simple. There is no clutter and it’s classy. It made me feel like, I, as the customer am appreciated.” Barroq told Jordan News.

Namliyeh started getting more traction after the lifting of the COVID-19 lockdown due to brunch events they held every Friday, Saturday and on public holidays, during which they served homemade French toast and organic fruit beverages, the employee noted. “Many people started to hear about us and show up those days. We’ve enjoyed having those events and seeing them enjoy our products.” Nesreen added.

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