The Toronto native moved to Israel and created Matana as a way to share Israel’s many sides with a global audience
The mission driven subscription boxes highlight the unique flavors of Israel and give dozens of local artisans a global platform for their products.
What are your top local artisans to discover?
Kuchinate – a collective of African, asylum-seeking women who make colorful crochet baskets using donated recycled fabric.
Neot Smadar – a non-traditional kibbutz in the Negev whose members and volunteers work as a collective to produce organic products like olive oil, yogurt, dates, wine, juice and more.
Ofaimme – a truly “farm-to-table” operation using sustainable agricultural practices to produce high quality olives, oils, jams, cheeses, wine and more.
Rish Lakish – a small family farm on Moshav Tsipori in the Galilee that produces olive oil using the fruit of 800 year old trees.
Derech HaTavlinim – an organic herb and spice farm in the lower Galilee that has a large shop where you can buy any kind of spice you want, most of which are grown and dried directly on site (including about 20 different varieties of zaatar).
Emily Berg
Where do you shop for artisanal products?
Shifra - a deli in Jaffa’s Flea Market that sells the best local products. It was opened by the owners of the popular restaurant.
Puaa - an homage to the two biblical midwives.
Farma Cultura – About an hour’s drive from Tel Aviv on Moshav Bnei Tzion, it has an organic vegetable farm and often hosts dinners, events and workshops in their beautiful space.
Yom Tov Deli - A family-run shop in Tel Aviv’s Levinsky Market, that was originally opened in Istanbul in 1947 before moving to its current location in 1967.
What is Matana’s best-selling product?
Rusty’s Nut Butters & Treats creates out-of- this-world almond butter that is 100% natural. It comes in unique flavors like halva, sea salt, coconut and cacao. Matana customers request this over and over.
Matana: thematanashop.com