The Ofir Farm in Alon HaGalil includes a vineyard and winery that wine lovers know by its former name, the ‘Yiftah’el Winery,’ and a beehive, which honey lovers know by its previous name the ‘Ofir Beehive’. The farm was established by Hadas and Zvika Ofir in Alon HaGalil, which was then an agricultural settlement at the beginning of its journey.
Zvika grew up raising bees and he learned everything from his beekeeper father Yishai. He received the first hundred bees from his father as a gift and today there are over 800 hives. After the establishment of the apiary, in 1986, Hadas and Zvika decided to deepen their Continue Reading
The Ofir Farm in Alon HaGalil includes a vineyard and winery that wine lovers know by its former name, the ‘Yiftah’el Winery,’ and a beehive, which honey lovers know by its previous name the ‘Ofir Beehive’. The farm was established by Hadas and Zvika Ofir in Alon HaGalil, which was then an agricultural settlement at the beginning of its journey.
Zvika grew up raising bees and he learned everything from his beekeeper father Yishai. He received the first hundred bees from his father as a gift and today there are over 800 hives. After the establishment of the apiary, in 1986, Hadas and Zvika decided to deepen their connection to the land and planted grapevines. For more than a decade, the grapes were sold to large wineries in the country, and in 1999 they began producing their wine. The leading grape varieties in the vineyard since then to this day are Sangiovese and Petite Sirah. In addition, they also breed Roussanne, Marselan, and Shiraz.
The honey extracted from the bees is pure, natural, and healthy, and is classified according to the types of flowers: carob, jujube, clover, citrus, and avocado, and according to different wildflower areas: Migdal, Shlomi, Alon HaGalil, and Kadarim.
In 2004, Winemaker Kobi Tuch joined the winery as an advisor. Kobi is the founder of Israel’s first boutique winery – Mount Meron Winery. In the same year, the farm’s visitor center was also built with wooden springs brought from the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, where the farm’s agricultural produce – honey and wine – is sold.
The cabin is open every Friday and Saturday for entertaining. Here you can taste the nine types of honey they produce, the variety of wines alongside fine goat cheese platters, you can also enjoy good coffee and a rotating art exhibition on the gallery floor with the children and family.
The four children of Hadas and Zvika take an active part in all the activities of the farm, from working in the apiary or vineyard, filling jars of honey and wine bottles for a variety of farm events. Adva, the eldest daughter, returned to the farm after graduating and together with Hadas, manages and develops the visitors center and the members’ club. Noam, her younger brother joined Zvika and together they lead the farm’s agricultural industries.
Western Galilee Now is a registered non-profit grassroots organization (NGO) promoting awareness and appreciation for the region’s boutique wines, beers, food and produce, along with its cultural diversity, its historic traditions and the area’s scenic routes nestled between the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea acting as a Chamber of Commerce to boutique tourism operators in the region.
We expose the visitors to the unique heritage and hospitality through workshops, culinary events, art, music, guides tours, festivals and also through our Tourist Information Center in Akko, owned by JNF USA which we were chosen to operate since Jan. 2016.
Our vision is to develop local and foreign tourism based on close cooperation between all the interested parties in the region.
Come and Taste Experience Discover – the Westen Galilee is NOW!
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