Too bitter? Israelis ask for renaming 'Turkish' coffe

A group of Israelis on Facebook are calling on local supply chain Strauss to rename its brand of Turkish coffee, saying that the product should not be sold in Israel under a name that refers to Turkey.

According to a news report on Israel's Channel 2 News, some Israelis don't want Turkish coffee to be sold in Israel and are asking the food giant Strauss, which produces Turkish coffee in Israel, to change its brand's name “Elite Turkish Coffee” to something that doesn't include the word “Turkish.” 

The campaign against Strauss' Turkish coffee began when Israelis started to complain about the firm on its Facebook page. One Israeli wrote, “I'm really disgusted by anything connected with Turkey.” Some others on Facebook said the coffee beans used in the coffee aren't from Turkey at all and that the product is also being produced in Israel. Thus, they say, calling it “Turkish” is nonsense. 

“It's high time to change the name of the coffee to ‘Black/Israeli/Flavorful/Wonderful' and so on -- just not Turkish!” another commenter wrote on the company's Facebook page. 

The company responded to the campaigners by pointing out that the term “Turkish” is referred to the method of grinding the beans. The firm said the coffee beans are from Ethiopia, Columbia and Vietnam. The firm also said that the firm has been producing this product at the same factory in Israel with the same name since 1963. 

The rosy decades-long relationship between Turkey and Israel took a big hit in May 2010 when Israeli soldiers attacked the Mavi Marmara, a ship owned by the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) that was participating in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. During this period, most Israeli coffee shops started boycotting Turkish coffee, refusing to sell it.