The Challenge
Recently farmers in the UK have frequently had to diversify after difficulties brought on by Foot and Mouth and BSE. Borderfields, a group of farmers from Northumberland , wanted to add value to their commodity products, grain and rapeseed. They commissioned a report into the market for speciality cooking oils, which suggested opportunities for a regionally branded niche cooking oil made from rapeseed oil. Locally farmed and possessing healthy attributes, the oil would appeal to customers seeking tastier, traceable options for their cooking.
The Brief
NE6 Design was commissioned to generate a name, bottle shape and label design for the locally-grown, cold-pressed culinary oil on a design budget of £15,000 (Euro 22,000). It would need to embody the brand equity of a distinctive, quality oil that sits alongside olive oil and other niche cooking oils and would have to display a visually compelling reason to buy amongst the target audience of 35-50 year old females, as well as attracting retail buyers. NE6 Design was also asked to create a generic strapline that conveyed purity, quality, locality and traceability.
The Design
Oleifera – Latin for oil-bearing seeds – was the name chosen. This met initial resistance from the farmers until it was coupled with the supporting strapline ‘Naturally Northumberland’. A tall and elegant off-the-shelf bottle design is complemented by a label design that resists an overly ‘rustic’ visual. The label and its tone of voice present a product that is pure, healthy and untampered with, moving perceptions of rapeseed oil away from negative associations of industrial farming and pesticides and instead reflecting the care and craftsmanship associated with premium quality oils.
The Results
Oleifera launched in October 2006 and average sales are currently between 55 and 60 cases per week, an increase of 145% on projections of 20-25 cases per week. Borderfields has had to relocate its production facility to meet demand, and having budgeted for just two part time staff in year one, has already increased staff numbers to three full time and four part time workers. The company is now in discussions about listing Oleifera in one of the major multiples.
