Tunisia JOBS helped a small olive wood manufacturer achieve strong growth in the competitive market.

Oliva Wood is a small manufacturer in Kef that produces olive wood kitchen utensils, such as silverware, cutting boards, and salad tongs. 

Traditionally, Oliva Wood has predominately worked as a subcontractor for large olive wood companies in Tunisia, generating small profit margins with limited growth potential. Indeed small producers like Oliva Wood generally struggle to compete in Tunisia’s olive wood sector, which is dominated by larger companies.

To help Oliva Wood increase its profits and reach the next growth level, JOBS supported its market research efforts, identifying prospective buyers for olive wood tables and other products in foreign markets.

In addition, JOBS awarded the company a grant to purchase a wood-cutting and finishing machine so that it could manufacture new products as part of its diversification strategy.

With this support, Oliva Wood significantly increased its sales and created 47 new jobs by the end of 2022. In addition to securing high-value orders in the Ivory Coast, the company is now prospecting for high-value buyers in the US, Canada, France, and Italy.  

“In addition to creating vital jobs in Kef, this support contributes to the democratization of the (olive wood) sector, in which small producers have always had trouble competing.”  

Bechir Ben Saied

CEO – Oliva Wood