Ever wonder why we package our olive oil in those beautiful blue glass bottles with resealable caps? As eye-catching and unique as they are, we don’t just do it for the looks. The fact of the matter is that our packaging serves three critically important functions for the freshness of the oil.
First, it’s important to know who the three enemies of fresh olive oil are: sunlight, oxygen, and moisture. Good packaging must fight all three of these enemies. The University of California-Davis studied olive oil packaging over a 10 year period and concluded that, “to maximize shelf stability the ideal packaging material would prevent light and air penetration, and oils would be stored in the dark at 16 – 18°C (61 – 64°F).”
So what is the best light- and air-blocking container? According to the UC Davis study, the most effective packing is dark glass or stainless steel, which are what we use. Even though plastic containers are lighter, cheaper, and less likely to be damaged during shipping, they are too porous to provide adequate protection from light, heat, or moisture. Additionally, small molecules in plastics can leak into the oil further diminishing its quality.
Since glass is superior to plastic, the question becomes what kind of glass is best? After all, it comes in multiple colors, each of which provides different levels of protection against ultraviolet (UV) light. All glass absorbs a large amount of UVB light no matter what the color. This is why you cannot be easily sunburned through your window. However, sunlight contains both UVA and UVB light and clear glass does not protect against UVA light. Clear glass does not prevent photo oxidation of olive oil without a full-body label or additional covering.
Tinted glass can protect a light sensitive like olive oil product better than clear glass, as it prevents more UVA light from passing through. The color in tinted glass helps filter damaging rays and keep the product fresh longer. Our cobalt blue glass bottles provide good protection from sunlight and they absorb much more UVA and UVB light than clear glass bottles would. But what about the green glass bottles that so many other olive oil producers use? It turns out that green glass actually offers very little protection against UVA radiation compared to other colors of tinted glass.
The other feature of our bottles that makes them different and better than others is the resealable cap, which helps prevent the olive oil from being excessively exposed to air and moisture. Bottles like ours have long been used in the beer industry because they seal so much more tightly than a screw-top cap can. They are also more durable than corks, which often crumble after a few uses.
In short, we package our olive oil the best way possible to maximize its freshness and flavor. The fact that our bottles look great is just an added bonus!
