Brands Upend Olive Oil Packaging Norms

• Pouches Pack a Punch: UK-based Citizens of Soil is joining the refill revolution with its recycled glass bottles and refill pouches, launched via British supermarket chain Waitrose in May 2023. Once used, pouches can be returned to the store for recycling
  
  Meanwhile, Psyche (Denmark) sells cold-pressed oils in one-litre tapped bags inspired by bagged wine. The lightweight opaque, airproof pouches protect the oil from light and oxygen, preserving freshness.
  
  
• Better Branded Canisters: Oil brands are leaning away from traditional nature-inspired green- or brown-tinted packaging. New brand Single & Fat (US) takes a playful approach with its baby pink metal tin with bold 90s-country-club-inspired typography. Equally eye-catching are Unto Toscano’s (Italy) 250ml tins interspersing plentiful white space with pops of orange and burgundy retro lettering.

• Chef-Inspired: While there’s been some controversy about their use, some brands are packaging their oils is squeezy plastic, inspired by the kind used in professional kitchens. See Graza’s (US/Spain) green-tinted bottles, as well Brightland’s (US) Pizza Oil, presented in squeezy white-and-red bottles designed for drizzling, and Supper Supply’s (Australia) black plastic vessels it claims avoid slippery-fingers-related breakages.
  
  
• Labelling Elevates Ease of Use: Having pinpointed that more than half of olive oil buyers are unsure which type of oil should be used for which purpose, Pompeian (US) developed the new Made Easy Olive Oil Each bottle is labelled clearly with what it should be used for, including Bake, Fry, Drizzle and Sauté. 
  
  

For more on category-defining packaging innovations, read Packaging Futures 23/24: Pretty Personal, Purposeful.