He Built His Factory in the Desert. He’s Still There.
The road to Mitzpe Ramon feels endless.
The green hills of central Israel slowly disappear behind stretches of open desert. The air grows drier. The landscape becomes quieter. Rocky cliffs and endless skies replace crowded streets and city noise.
And then, in the middle of the Negev desert, you arrive.
This is where Itay Keinan chose to build his life.
And this is where he chose to build Faran Cosmetics.
A Different Kind of Success Story
Most people do not move to the desert to start a business.
But for Itay, Mitzpe Ramon was never only a location.
It was a calling.
Founded in 1999, Faran Cosmetics was born from Itay’s deep connection to the desert and his belief that life in the Negev offers something impossible to find anywhere else. Surrounded by the beauty and stillness of the Ramon Crater, he began creating natural skincare products inspired by the plants, minerals, and spirit of the Israeli desert.
As Itay explains:
“Here I can tap into the spiritual side of Israel every day.”
That sentence says everything.
Because Faran was never just about cosmetics.
It was about building a life connected to the land itself.
Building Something in the Middle of Nowhere
Inside his small factory in Mitzpe Ramon, every product is still carefully manufactured by hand according to strict natural and organic standards.
The creams and oils are created using plant extracts, natural oils, and earth minerals chosen specifically for the desert climate and for healthy, nourishing skincare. Many of Faran’s products are certified organic according to international Ecocert organic-natural standards – something rare in the cosmetic industry today.
But what makes Faran special is not only the products.
It is the determination behind them.
Because building a business in the desert was never easy.
And then came war.
When the Orders Stopped
As war shook Israel, the impact reached even remote Mitzpe Ramon.
Exports slowed. International buyers became uncertain. Orders that small Israeli businesses depended on suddenly stopped coming.
For large corporations, this creates pressure.
For small family businesses, it creates fear.
But Itay stayed.
He kept producing.
Kept working.
Kept believing people would come back.
Because when your business is tied not only to income, but to identity and purpose, walking away is not simple.
This is the reality behind so many Israeli producers today.
Not headlines.
Not statistics.
People.
Real people trying to continue building life in the places they love.
Behind Every Product Is a Family Trying to Keep Going
Why Lev Haolam Matters
This is why Lev Haolam’s support matters so deeply to producers like Itay.
Every order placed.
Every subscription box shipped.
Every person choosing to support Israeli families directly.
It fills the gap.
The May Lev Haolam box included Faran’s Facial Day Cream – a product inspired by the desert itself and created with the same patience and care that defines life in Mitzpe Ramon.
But subscribers received more than skincare.
They became part of a story.
A story about resilience.
About choosing to remain rooted.
About people who continue creating beauty even during uncertainty.
This is what supporting Israel truly looks like.
Not a slogan.
Not a news headline.
A person standing in the desert saying:
“I’m still here.”
A Connection You Can Hold
When you open a Lev Haolam box, you are not simply receiving products from Israel.
You are stepping into the lives of the people behind them.
People like Itay.
People who wake up every morning and continue building farms, factories, workshops, and families across the land of Israel – even when the world becomes uncertain around them.
And through that connection, something powerful happens:
Israel stops feeling far away.
It becomes personal.
