Tunisia shifts olive oil strategy toward packaged exports

Tunisia is transitioning its olive oil industry from bulk exports to packaged, branded products to capture higher value in the global market. Historically, the majority of Tunisian olive oil has been exported in bulk, with approximately 86% of exports in the 2025/2026 season destined for bottling under foreign brands in countries like Spain, Italy, and the United States. This practice often obscures the product's Tunisian origin through blending or vague labeling.

According to Moez Ben Amor, CEO of the Office national de l’huile (ONH), the country is seeing significant growth in packaged exports. Current volumes have reached approximately 55,000 tonnes, surpassing the total of 42,000 tonnes from the previous entire campaign. The sector aims to reach 60,000 tonnes by the end of the current campaign.

Tunisian olive oil is now available in 82 international markets, following the recent opening of seven new markets, including Taiwan. Producers and economists emphasize that controlling the value chain through strong domestic brands is essential to move away from being a mere supplier of cheap raw materials and to better leverage the country's production capacity, which could rank second globally by volume in the 2025/2026 season.