California Olive Ranch Launches New Bag-In-Box Package

Revolutionary Food Service Package Promotes Freshness of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Increases Shelf Life, and Reduces Environmental Footprint

April 13, 2009, Oroville Calif.—California Olive Ranch (COR) has introduced a new food service package for its award-winning, certified extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) designed specifically for the food service industry. The innovative technology utilizes the wine industry’s bag-in-the-box design wherein the bag collapses as the olive oil is dispensed. This prevents oxygen from coming in contact with the oil improving product freshness, consistency in flavor, while increasing the shelf life of the oil up to a year. Available now in a 2.5-gallon size, the 5-gallon package will begin shipping in December. California Olive Ranch will ship each of its EVOO varieties in this new package—Arbequina, Arbosana, and Koroneiki—as well as the California Olive Ranch proprietary EVOO blend.

To improve on its previous packaging and provide the food industry with a better packaging alternative, COR collaborated with Scholle Packaging for over a year and solicited input from dozens of food service customers, chefs, buyers, and distributors. The new packaging meets several goals: First and foremost, the package promotes and preserves the freshness and flavor of the oil. Second, it is significantly more environmentally friendly than the previous packaging. Third, the package is easier to use, takes up less room, and reduces freight costs per unit versus the previous packaging. “There is increased demand for high quality California extra virgin olive oil, and we kept hearing from our food service customers about the need for a California product that would be better for the environment,” says Claude S. Weiller, COR’s vice-president of sales & marketing.

Features and benefits of the new collapsible packaging compared to COR’s previous packaging:

• Collapsible Bag: The collapsible bag, combined with a 100% nitrogen flush, protects the freshness and flavor consistency of the oil for up to 12 months
• Improved Environmental Footprint: The 100% recyclable corrugate box is made up of 75% recycled materials and requires 6% less material
• More Compact: 6% more compact for easier storage, more efficient shipping, and lower per-unit shipping costs
• Improved Spout: Improved spout design is easier to use, virtually eliminates drips and waste
• Visual Instructions: Step-by-step, illustrated usage instructions accommodates the language needs of all restaurant staff
• Informative Labeling: Food-grade product labels can be scanned by UPC readers and now contain standard food label nutrition information

Since its first harvest in 2001, the EVOO olive oils from California Olive Ranch continually earn high praise and receive numerous awards. Prized among chefs and food service professionals, retail sizes are also available. Distributed nationally, California Olive Ranch certified extra virgin olive oils generally are priced lower than other branded products of comparable flavor and quality.

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About California Olive Ranch

Founded in 1998, California Olive Ranch (COR) and its state-of-the-art mill and processing facility are headquartered on the original 700-acre olive ranch in Oroville, California. Pioneering the super high density system and mechanized harvesting of farming olives in California, COR adheres to the highest quality control standards from the field to the bottle. The result is an abundant, world-class, extra virgin olive oil with a consistently fresh, fruity, aromatic, and award winning flavor profile. For more information, please visit www.californiaoliveranch.com.

About Scholle Packaging

Headquartered in Irvine, California, Scholle Packaging delivers packaging solutions for retail, institutional and industrial markets. Scholle leverages its global resources to supply innovative packaging technology to the global marketplace. Scholle is committed to enhancing our customer’s products by providing unprecedented innovation, quality and customer service. www.scholle.com

About the California Olive Oil Council and its Seal Certification

The California Olive Oil Council (COOC) was founded in 1992. The COOC is a non-profit trade and marketing association whose purpose is to promote the growing of olives and the production of olive oil in California. The COOC supports certified olive oil standards and provides grower, producer and consumer education. The COOC is dedicated to promoting fresh, quality extra virgin olive oils made in California. Through its Seal Certification program, the COOC helps everyone from home chefs to restaurants find guaranteed extra virgin olive oils for their kitchens. For more information, visit www.cooc.com.