The Olive Oil of Madaba
Every KON bar begins in the same place: olive oil pressed in Madaba, Jordan. It’s the one ingredient every bar we make shares, and the reason they exist at all.
The City of Mosaics
Madaba sits in the hills about 30 kilometers southwest of Amman. It’s known around the world for its Byzantine mosaics, most famously the Madaba Map, a sixth-century mosaic floor in the Church of Saint George. It’s the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land, showing Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and the towns of the region in a bird’s-eye view made entirely of small stones. It lay hidden until 1884, when it was uncovered while a new church was being built on the site.
For centuries, craftsmen in Madaba have set one small stone beside another until a whole picture appeared. That patience is the idea behind KON. Our name, our packaging and the mosaic you see across our boxes all come from it.
An old tree in an old land
The olive was first domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago, and it has been part of life in the Levant ever since. In Jordan, olive trees are part of the landscape and of everyday life, and the harvest comes each autumn.
When we chose where to begin, we didn’t look for the most exotic ingredient. We looked for the one with the deepest roots, and in Madaba, that’s the olive.
Why olive oil makes beautiful soap
Soap made from olive oil is one of the oldest traditions in the region. In Nablus, soap makers have made bars from olive oil for centuries, and in 2024 UNESCO recognized Nabulsi soap making as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. Aleppo, in Syria, has its own long tradition of olive oil soap.
Olive oil gives a bar a gentle, creamy lather and a smooth, silky feel. On its own, it makes a soft bar, so we pair it with shea butter, coconut, sweet almond and castor oil for firmness and rich lather. Olive oil stays the foundation, and everything else is built on top of it.
More than oil
Madaba gives us more than olive oil. The Damask rose in our Damask Rose Bar and the lavender in our Lavender Bar are grown there too.
Even what’s left after pressing has a place. In our African Mist and African Black bars, olive pomace, the pulp left after the olives are pressed, is burned to ash and used to make the soap, in place of the palm oil found in traditional black soap.
Made slowly, one bar at a time
Each bar is made by hand in Madaba and poured into its own mold, never cut from a larger block. Then it cures for four weeks before it’s boxed, which lets it harden and last longer in your shower.
It’s slow, and that’s the point. Like the mosaics, it comes together one piece at a time.
Why KON
Most mass-market soap doesn’t say where its oil comes from. Ours comes from one town. Every KON bar is handmade in Madaba with olive oil pressed there, poured into its mold one at a time, and cured for four full weeks before it’s boxed.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Madaba?
Madaba is a city in Jordan, about 30 kilometers southwest of Amman, known as the City of Mosaics.
What is the Madaba Map?
A sixth-century Byzantine mosaic floor in Madaba’s Church of Saint George. It’s the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land.
Is all of KON’s olive oil from Madaba?
Yes. Every KON bar is made with olive oil pressed in Madaba, Jordan.
Why is olive oil used in soap?
Olive oil gives soap a gentle, creamy lather and a smooth feel. It’s been the base of soap in the Levant for centuries, long before palm oil was used.
What is olive pomace?
The pulp of skin, flesh and pits left after olives are pressed for oil. We burn it to ash and use it in our African bars.