Citizens of Soil and its range of single estate extra virgin olive oils from award-winning female producers across the Mediterranean is rolling out across all 27 of high-end grocery chain Booths stores.
At the same time, it has just been certified as a B Corporation™ (B Corp), furthering the company’s commitment to operating its business as a force for good and aligning to their mission of turning a commodity into a community.
Launching a full range in Booths
This growth powers Citizens of Soil to bring more fair, sustainable, and flavourful extra virgin olive oils to more people in the UK.
And as a first for the brand, they’ll be launching with three different variety extra virgin olive oils from three different regions and producers across the Mediterranean:
Greek Single Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Marianna in the Peloponnese (£17.50 for 500ml bottle)
Elegant and fruity with notes of apple, oregano and basil. This is the ultimate all-purpose ingredient to elevate your cooking. Pair in sauces like pesto, homemade mayonnaise or dressings, and over ice cream!
Spanish Single Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Marina in Andalucía (£22.50 for 500ml bottle)
Vibrant and with tropical fruit notes, tomato, artichoke, and black pepper. This vibrant oil is peppery and fruity, making it pair perfectly with peppers, rice, and on tomato soups in the winter or fruit salads in the summer.
Croatian Single Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Lena in Istria (£27.50 for 375ml bottle)
A balanced and bitter blend, this multi-award winning product is punchy and peppery on the palate. It has notes of green tomatoes, artichoke, and chicory. Pair with risottos or roasted vegetables like butternut squash this time of year, or dark chocolate for a bitter treat.
Special note: This producer made EVOOLEUM’s top-10 for limited-production extra virgin olive oils in the world in 2023, while the region of Istria has been recognised as the the “best region in the world” for several consecutive years by the Flos Olei, a ‘Michelin-guide’ of the world’s olive industry. Gordon Ramsay visited Lena and raved about the oil in his show, Uncharted, back in 2020.
Booths, a family-owned and operated independent supermarket group, has 27 stores across Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumbria, Cheshire. Celebrating 176 years of trading, it brings together the best of British food & drink, with a focus on local, seasonal, and sustainable sourcing.
“Often people think that bigger is better, but that isn’t the case with extra virgin olive oil. By listing Citizens of Soil, I’ve come to learn more about the quality and full traceability that happens in small-scale production. From farming regeneratively and hand-picking the olives through to processing at the mill and selecting specific varieties for different flavours and pairings. This attention to detail will only help the customer when it comes to using the product and hopefully create an appreciation for the quality that will deliver loyalty for these oils,” explains Haris Deane, buyer at Booths.
Citizens of Soil launched in Waitrose this summer in 144 stores with both their bottle and refill pouch.
This new addition expands them into more than 220 shops across the UK, while at the same time more than doubling their DTC subscription growth for their refill pouches since the start of this year.
As is the qualification to be a B Corporation™, Citizens of Soil had to meet the high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
Because so much of the money that comes into Citizens of Soil goes directly into the hands of farmers, they are labelled as the “Agriculture/Growers” sector, creating a markedly different proposition and B Corp assessment than your typical retail brand. Despite not owning any farm land and instead sourcing directly from small-batch producers, their biggest impact in the business is from the agriculture itself.
Citizens of Soil was created by Sarah Vachon and Michael Vachon for those who care about quality, transparency and sustainability.
Sarah Vachon says: “We built this business to change the olive oil industry for good. Having a more positive social and environmental impact is something we work towards every single day. Getting our B Corp certification and joining some inspiring brands who have come before make us even more driven in pursuit of turning the commodity of olive oil into a community—and making sure we’re held accountable to all the sustainability progress we aim for .”
