When Hussein Monder Yosef was a child, his family would store wheat at home and grind just enough for their needs. After becoming a chemical and environmental engineer, he established a small flour mill near the municipal market in Deir Hanna in 2008. Here, he grinds local wheat — primarily Negev wheat, grown in the Beit Netofa valley and the Upper Galilee — into flour. His mother then uses the flour in the bakery next door to bake pitas and manakish with traditional toppings: za’atar, labneh and olive oil, onion and sumac, meat, and cheese.

Twice a week, Yosef grinds flour for his own needs. The rest of the week, the mill serves the community: families bring sacks of wheat they’ve grown themselves (or purchased from local farmers) and grind it into flour or bulgur for dishes like kibbeh, mujaddara, and maftoul. In the spring, the mill grinds freekeh, a smoked cracked green wheat. Next to the flour mill, there’s a machine for grinding carob into carob molasses. Additionally, za’atar is ground here, and there is a room dedicated to selling  spices and locally-grown legumes.

Wheat bags, Photo: Noam Prisman

Chef Yahaloma Levi says: “When I first tasted baked goods made from Al Bayader’s flour, I was blown away by the flavor. It wasn’t long before I found myself traveling to Deir Hanna to see what made this flour so special. I discovered a family-run mill that also serves as a vibrant community hub — a place where a tradition spanning hundreds of years is preserved. In an age where most people buy flour from supermarkets, a place like this, which encourages the community to grind its own wheat, feels like magic to me. It fosters a healthy diet and nourishes not just the individual, but the community and the land as well.”