‘Cardboardeux’ and ‘Chateau de Cardboard’ are common nicknames for wine that comes in a cardboard box. Bag in a box wines have generally been the cheaper wines, if not the cheapest. Partly due to the low quality, but also due to the low price of the packaging. Recently, some more expensive wines have been bravely packaged this way, because it’s actually a convenient and effective way to package, keeping the wine fresher for longer after opening.
The olive oil industry has recently started to package olive oil in this way too. The enemies of olive oil are light, heat and oxygen (read more about that here), and bag in a box packaging solves 2 of those problems. The bag protects the olive oil from light and by pouring out a tap, there is not chance for air to get inside the bag.
The container is light and won’t break if dropped, making it perfect for use in the kitchen. Many people choose to decant some of the oil into a bottle which they use and refill when needed.
Olyfberg has recently launched their bag in box containing their extra virgin olive oil blend. The box is adorned with beautiful imagery of the Olyfberg farm on the Breede River near Robertson. Available in 1L and 2L options, the box will replace Olyfberg’s PET bottle and complement the glass bottle.
Several other olive oil producers already have a bag in the box product on the market, and there is no reason why this would not become the standard packaging for olive oil. This is not a South African phenomenon, many producers around the world are already packaging their olive oil this way.
With top producers choosing this packaging, olive oil should not suffer the same problem as wine, with people thinking only inferior oil is packaged this way. Having said that, there are definitely cost benefits for the consumer.
Rio Largo extra virgin olive oil has been packaged in a box for some time, but they have recently launched a new funky ‘French’ look box.
Greenleaf extra virgin olive oil is also available in a box, as is their more intense offering (read about olive oil intensity here), Saint Sebastian Bay.
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