All proceeds from sales of the beer will go towards communities in the West Bank, which is occupied illegally under international law by Israel, and the Disasters Emergency Committee, a charity which supports people impacted by conflict across the Middle East.
This includes over two million people in Gaza, who are currently faced with a man-made famine and an Israeli genocide as declared by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and numerous other human rights organisations and scholars.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, and Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli minister of defence, for their role in war crimes and crimes against humanity, with a Lancet study from last year finding that the death could already have been as high as 186,000.
The Sun & Stone lager (4.5% ABV) is inspired by the West Bank’s warm climate and limestone hills, with the beer representing “resilience, compassion, and craft”. It is available now via the Brewgooder website, and will be sold in 1,600 Co-op stores from 10 September.
Brewgooder, which is based in Glasgow, first became aware of Taybeh Brewing Co in 2023 and approached general manager Madees Khoury about a possible collaboration shortly afterwards which would allow the family to share its story.
Speaking about her day-to-day experience in the West Bank, Khoury said: “This is the worst the situation has been for decades. Recently settlers set two cars on fire and spray-painted threats in Hebrew. They tried to jump the wall into people’s homes. If the houses had been empty, they would have burned them.
“Three towns near us were attacked early in the morning. Cars were set on fire. Soldiers threw tear gas. One person from the neighbouring town died because he suffocated from the tear gas.
“Things are getting worse, but we’re still here, still making beer. Because what else can we do but keep going? Our brewery provides jobs and much-needed distraction. It tells a story – it shows a side of Palestine that people do not always see.”
Her brother, Canaan Khoury, recently returned to the West Bank to work at the brewery after training as a mechanical engineer at Harvard.
“We joke darkly that we’re building a brewery for settlers to take one day – but still, we build," he said.
“Life has descended into total anarchy. There is no protection from any government authority, Palestinian or Israeli.
“The Palestinian police cannot enter our village without Israeli permission. The Israeli army is here only to defend the settlers, not us. The people who attack us are supported by the army.
“You start thinking about how to protect yourself: Do you run? Do you stay? It is very dystopian. But we choose to stay, as this is our home.”
Brewgooder co-founder James Hughes described the people behind Taybeh Brewing Co as incredible.
“We see this as a chance not just to stand by a brewery we admire, but to also share a perspective of Palestine that is not often seen, while helping to support humanitarian aid in Gaza and elsewhere where the suffering is unimaginably unjust,” Hughes added.
The Co-op national listing is the largest such beer launch since Chernigivske, which raised funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine humanitarian appeal.
It also comes just a few months after Co-op announced it would stop trading with Israel in response to 73% of its members voting in favour of a motion which called for such action.
Paul Gerrard – Co-op’s director of campaigns, public affairs and policy – commented: “We have a longstanding legacy of supporting communities and know the positive impact co-operation can have in fostering long term recovery in regions affected by conflict.
“The Brewgooder and Taybeh beer is such a great initiative to support economic stability and we’re proud to be able to sell the beer in our stores and donate the profits.”
