Nexira begins a new chapter of the “Trees of Life”
With the inception of this project, Nexira reiterated its commitment in Chad and Senegal to preserve acacias, baobabs, and balanites. Their actions help to bring back life to entire regions by protecting the trees that slow down the advance of the desert while improving the living conditions of local communities.
In phase 2 of the “Trees of Life” of the Mediterranean basin, it is once again the photographer Nicolas Henry who recounts this exciting, extraordinary story between Nexira and the Trees of Life, through his poetic and emotional images.
Having sustained a long-standing partnership with Tunisian farmers for several decades, Nexira has been helping to protect the olive, carob, and cactus trees that grow wild in this region through a natural production method that respects the various principles of organic farming, without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. This method of cultivation helps combat desertification by limiting soil erosion and enriching biodiversity. Hundreds of families make their living directly or indirectly from the income generated by these harvests.
This activity provides valuable, secure jobs and minimizes rural exodus. Cactus, for example, can be harvested and processed throughout the year, which constitutes a stable source of income for the farmers of this region. This long-term partnership ensures Nexira a regular and high-quality supply of natural ingredients, enabling everyone to enjoy the inexhaustible health and beauty benefits provided by these trees and their fruits.
This artistic project has been curated by the agency BYART who has chosen the French artist Nicolas Henry to create these images.
Born in 1978, Nicolas Henry’s artwork spans the borders between portrait, theater, and installation. His art has been exhibited worldwide, showcasing works that mix multiple mediums including photography, writing, and sculpture.
Henry’s book on communities, Imaginary Tales Around World – Worlds in the Making, was published in 2016 by editions Albin Michel; it received the Mediterranean Prize for art books in 2017. Each of Nicolas Henry’s photographs contributes to a resolute humanistic ecological commitment.
El Mansoura, Kesra and the region of carob trees, olive trees, and prickly pears
Carpet in the olive season
Nexira harvests olives for its Oli-Ola™ brand in a region in which there are hundreds of thousands, even millions, of trees as far as the eye can see. For centuries, these trees
bearing nourishing fruits have been an essential basis for food and development, providing their benefits throughout the Mediterranean countries – which we now share with the entire world.
Our organic Oli-Ola™ olive extract guarantees a high hydroxytyrosol content, along with a health claim for its potential cardiovascular benefits.
Tribute to the trees of life
The Trees of Life are a limitless source of health and beauty. Anti-oxidant olive extracts preserve youth, even as they are sourced from centuries-old trees.
The fruits of the carob tree and the prickly pear possess exceptional nutritional and health qualities. They are cultivated by a method which does not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides and follows the principles of organic farming, which in turn contributes to the protection of the environment.
Planting trees limits soil erosion and enriches biodiversity, thus helping to combat desertification. Trees, our traveling companions for millennia, are the guardians of a world where humankind lives in harmony with nature. For Nexira, sustainable development requires a harmonious and respectful relationship with the Trees of Life of Tunisia.
Olive picking
To pick olives, we climb wooden ladders high in the trees and drop the fruits of our labor into large white nets stretched between shadow and light.
Each olive is selected by hand, which guarantees the quality and good conservation of the fruit. Responsible agriculture and sustainable harvesting have allowed our Oli-Ola™ brand,
which is a 100% natural olive extract produced from wild olive trees, to be awarded organic farming certification.
Trees that help each other
For nearly half a century, Nexira has established exclusive relationships with local producers, focusing on superior quality and a reliable and sustainable supply.
No pesticides, no chemical fertilizers. The cultivation method that is used helps to combat desertification by limiting soil erosion and enriching biodiversity.
Many families in this region make their living directly or indirectly from the income generated by these harvests. This activity provides valuable, safe jobs and minimizes rural exodus. For example, cactus can be harvested throughout the year, constituting a stable source of income for the region’s farmers. This natural production method guarantees Nexira a regular and high-quality supply of ingredients for all its brands.
A thousand-year old olive tree
This image was taken in the valley that extends from the foot of Kesra, a village in Tunisia, at the entrance to a forest. Here in this woodland are found some of the most venerable olive trees, which range from one thousand to three thousand years old. These olive trees that grow in the wild are the guardians of a world that could disappear.
Their delicious fruits provide an exceptional oil, guaranteeing a high hydroxytyrosol content.
These are the olives that we use for our brand Oli-Ola™, a certified organic olive extract containing polyphenols that provide unique benefits, which has earned us an approved health claim.
Carob pickers
In the mountains of the Mediterranean basin, the wild carob tree grows. When the season
commences, these very hard pods are harvested, and then crushed to yield the small seeds, which are themselves crushed and transformed into carob flour using purely natural processes.
Carob is an ingredient found in traditional village dishes and now used in many foods around the world. Pure and natural, the carob from the wild trees has unique thickening and stabilizing properties. Nexira, with a long-time knowledge of these wild trees, is world- renowned for its expertise in carob production.
Transporting the olives
At dusk, the olive pickers return with their baskets full. The fruits of their harvest will then be used for the production of our brand Oli-Ola™, a 100% natural olive extract.
The purity and effectiveness of Oli Ola™ and its organic certification are guaranteed by the responsible agricultural practices as well as our unique production processes, all of which consistently meet the strictest quality standards.
Carob seed game
Carob seeds have long carried the singular mystery as to why each one of them possesses a perfectly similar weight and size. This is why in antiquity they were chosen as a unit of measurement, the carat, which is still used today by jewelry buyers and sellers around the world. Nature creates wonders. But carob seeds bring many other benefits.
Once transformed using purely natural processes into carob powder, this ingredient offers exceptional thickening and stabilizing properties. In its factory in Switzerland, Nexira produces a very high-quality carob that can be found in everyday products such as ice cream, plant-based alternatives, dairy products, and fruit preparations.
The extraordinary fruits of balanites
This installation is made up of branches and fruits of balanites, which are commonly found in villages in West Africa. The fruits of the balanites have a very promising future and could be a new resource for villagers who gather them. These fruits, with their multiple benefits, have always had their place in the uses of traditional local medicine.
For 130 years, Nexira has been protecting the balanites and studying the virtues of their fruits, particularly for women’s health.
A century-old carob tree
Nexira watches over the carob trees whose seeds it harvests to transform into carob gum with natural texturizing properties. Carob trees grow in the wild and sculpt the semi-desert landscapes of the Mediterranean region with their imposing silhouettes.
They can reach a height of 15 meters and live for a hundred years – they play an important role in the ecosystem. The carob tree’s root system and implantation helps limit soil erosion due to wind or runoff. No one would even dream of tearing off a few branches of the carob tree. Pruning trees is a mature consideration reserved for the attentive surveyor. Indeed, the quantity and quality of the fruit depends greatly on the pruner’s know-how.
The prickly pear
In Mediterranean landscapes, prickly pears form impassable hedges that separate cultivated land. The rather strange assemblages where rounded, shaggy, disheveled shapes intertwine, succeed in creating a natural beauty in the chaos.
For its Cactinea™ range, Nexira extracts a 100% organic ingredient that detoxifies by activating the elimination of water, resulting in a refined silhouette. This ingredient is in harmony with nature as well as with our bodies.
Symbol of life
The motif of a tree laden with fruit adorns ancient architecture around the world, symbolizing life and benevolent nature. It is a tangible representation of youth,
fertility and good health. We would be willing to bet without much risk that this theme will last for all eternity.
With more than 20 years of experience and our unequaled know-how of cactus, Nexira offers Neopuntia™, a patented combination of dietary fibers extracted from the cactus by a 100% natural process that absorbs fats and sugar, enabling natural weight management.
This communication is not intended to the final consumer. It provides scientific information for professionals only. Communications to the final consumer have to be checked according to local regulations in force, since the conditions of use are beyond our control. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
