The Israeli Embassy selected Negev Nectars to showcase its organic, sustainably grown products at the World Bank in Washington, DC, on October 18th and 19th. The entrance to the World Bank’s Executive Dining Room was the venue for Negev Nectars to offer tastes of its products to thousands of employees and visitors from around the world. For the multitude of passersby Negev Nectars stood as the face of Israel, and the pioneering and innovative spirit of its desert farmers and producers.
“It was especially gratifying to have so many interested visitors stop by our booth to learn about water recycling, drip irrigation and other conservation methods used by our partner farmers,” said Marvin Israelow, founder of Negev Nectars. “People were pleasantly surprised to discover that such delicious food could be produced in a desert environment and were inspired by the example of our Israeli farmers.”
Many World Bank employees sought information from the Negev Nectars staff, seeking to connect farmers in places such as Haiti and the Sudan with their Israeli counterparts.
Every month the World Bank highlights the culture of one of its partner members as
part of its Heritage Days Series, and for the first time ever, Israel was chosen. The embassy also invited chef Mikah Sharon from Tel Aviv to transform the Executive Dining Room into a fine dining Israeli restaurant. Special guests visited the dining room and Negev Nectars’ booth, including Sally Oren, wife of the Israeli Ambassador to the United States, and Joan Nathan, renowned cookbook writer and expert on Jewish and Israeli cuisine.
Chef Mikah Sharon found Negev Nectars’ Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil to be of top quality, unusually good she said for Israeli products available in the United States. Israeli Embassy employees who attended the event were excited about the unique and delicious Negev Nectars’ foods. The Director of Cultural Affairs for the Embassy congratulated Negev Nectars for representing Israel so well.
“The World Bank was the perfect venue for gourmet, sustainable products from Israel,” said Jeffrey Yoskowitz, Director of Operations and Marketing for Negev Nectars. “World Bank employees from all different regions of the world could relate to high quality foods and growing in difficult environments.”
Stuart Hurst, the Director of Operations for dining services at the World Bank, asked Negev Nectars to participate in future sustainable agriculture and sustainable development conferences.
Hurst mentioned that there is a serious focus at the World Bank on sustainable agriculture, and that Negev Nectars’ work was entirely synchronistic with that mission. Moreover, Hurst said, the World Bank is also known for an excellent dining program.
