Palestinian brewery partners with Scots to bring beer to Britain despite conflict
TOI World Desk | TOI Global Desk | Sep 09, 2025, 18:23 IST
Highlight of the story: Taybeh Brewing Co., a West Bank Palestinian brewery, has introduced its beer into British shops through a deal with Scottish brewer Brewgooder. In the face of war, checkpoints, and economic adversity, the partnership saw the release of a new lager, Sun & Stone, which has since hit Co-op supermarkets. The profits will be used to fund Palestinian charities and aid groups, a rare tale of survival and unity in the midst of conflict
Taybeh Brewing Co., a small Palestinian brewery based in the village of Taybeh, has made its way to the British shelves by launching its beer in the United Kingdom, despite facing several challenges, such as wars, checkpoints, and long delays, with the help of Brewgooder, a Scottish brewing company.
The collaboration emerges at a crucial time when the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and strict border control have made business trade very difficult for many Palestinians company.
Brewing Against the Odds
Taybeh Brewery was established in 1994, by the two Khoury brothers, Nadim and David Khoury. It is considered as one of the first small breweries in the Middle East. For them, selling beer has always been a tough job, considering it is based in an area where most of the people follow Islam and scrutinize alcohol as "haram".
“Because of these challenges and obstacles that we go through — it just makes you stronger,” said brewmaster Madees Khoury, daughter of the founders.
A Helping Hand from Scotland
Brewgooder co-founder James Hughes read about Taybeh’s struggles and reached out to collaborate. Together, the breweries developed Sun & Stone, a Mediterranean-style lager brewed in Glasgow with British and Bavarian ingredients.
The first run produced 180,000 cans, which will go on sale at Co-op supermarkets across the U.K. starting Wednesday. Both Brewgooder and Co-op will take no profit; proceeds will support Taybeh, local Palestinian charities, and the Disasters Emergency Committee, which provides aid to Gaza and other conflict-affected areas.
“I don’t think we’ve ever come across a brewery that has faced the hardship that Taybeh has,” Hughes said. “This is not a normal collaboration. It’s about humanity and solidarity.”
Challenges They Faced
Before working with the Scottish brewery, Taybeh had a hard time getting its beer through Israeli checkpoints. Inspections often took a long time, causing delays, and sometimes the beer was damaged. In one case, inspection dogs ruined several cases of beer during a check.
“We have many problems in terms of culture, religion, occupation, siege, closures, checkpoints, electricity, shortage of water,” Nadim Khoury said. “You name it, you can make a book out of the problems and the obstacles that we have.”
The collaboration emerges at a crucial time when the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and strict border control have made business trade very difficult for many Palestinians company.
Brewing Against the Odds
Taybeh Brewery was established in 1994, by the two Khoury brothers, Nadim and David Khoury. It is considered as one of the first small breweries in the Middle East. For them, selling beer has always been a tough job, considering it is based in an area where most of the people follow Islam and scrutinize alcohol as "haram".
“Because of these challenges and obstacles that we go through — it just makes you stronger,” said brewmaster Madees Khoury, daughter of the founders.
A Helping Hand from Scotland
Brewgooder co-founder James Hughes read about Taybeh’s struggles and reached out to collaborate. Together, the breweries developed Sun & Stone, a Mediterranean-style lager brewed in Glasgow with British and Bavarian ingredients.
The first run produced 180,000 cans, which will go on sale at Co-op supermarkets across the U.K. starting Wednesday. Both Brewgooder and Co-op will take no profit; proceeds will support Taybeh, local Palestinian charities, and the Disasters Emergency Committee, which provides aid to Gaza and other conflict-affected areas.
“I don’t think we’ve ever come across a brewery that has faced the hardship that Taybeh has,” Hughes said. “This is not a normal collaboration. It’s about humanity and solidarity.”
Challenges They Faced
Before working with the Scottish brewery, Taybeh had a hard time getting its beer through Israeli checkpoints. Inspections often took a long time, causing delays, and sometimes the beer was damaged. In one case, inspection dogs ruined several cases of beer during a check.
“We have many problems in terms of culture, religion, occupation, siege, closures, checkpoints, electricity, shortage of water,” Nadim Khoury said. “You name it, you can make a book out of the problems and the obstacles that we have.”