Regenerative farmer bottles UK’s first oil in paper bottle

Regenerative farmer Adam Palmer, founder of Littleseed, is using Frugalpac’s low carbon Frugal Bottle, made from 94% recycled paper, to deliver British rapeseed oil made exclusively from regeneratively farmed crops at his farm in Malton, North Yorkshire.

Littleseed Naturally Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil has gone on sale in all 25 Booths stores, to become the first oil in the UK packaged in a paper bottle.

While olive oils have previously launched in the Frugal Bottle in continental Europe, especially Germany with Jordan’s Olive Oil and Enia Foods Aeons Olive Oil, this is the first time a paper bottle has been used for rapeseed oil, demonstrating the growing versatility of low carbon paper based packaging for premium edible oils.

The Frugal Bottle is made from 94% recycled paperboard with a food grade liner and delivers a carbon footprint up to six times lower than glass. 

It is shatterproof, weighs just 83g – five times lighter than traditional glass bottles, and as it is made from paper and not transparent glass or plastic, it maintains the integrity and freshness of oils, protecting them from light and oxygen which can spoilt taste.

By combining regenerative agriculture with lower carbon packaging, the Littleseed launch highlights how food brands are increasingly taking a whole system approach to sustainability: from soil health through to packaging.

Adam said, ‘As a regenerative farmer I am passionate about agriculture that creates better outcomes for the future of food, farming and the planet. 

‘When we were looking for a bottle to launch it in, we were drawn to the Frugal Bottle because its carbon footprint was six times lower than a glass bottle and five times lighter.

‘Another key feature is that because light can’t penetrate, the oil can’t be spoiled by exposure to light. 

‘I am delighted that the team at Booths see the value in regeneratively farmed products like ours and the paper packaging we have chosen.’

Haris Deane, oils and vinegar buyer at Booths, said: ‘Responsible business practices are integral to us at Booths and we’re constantly striving to be a more sustainable and environmentally friendly retailer. Littleseed’s naturally cold pressed rapeseed oil ticked boxes for us in both the way the product is farmed and its lower carbon packaging.’

Malcolm Waugh, CEO of Frugalpac, said: ‘This is an exciting first for the Frugal Bottle and for the UK edible oils category. We have seen olive oils successfully adopt paper bottles, but this is the first rapeseed oil to do so and the first oil in the UK. It shows how far sustainable packaging has come.

‘Rapeseed oil is a product rooted in British farming, so pairing it with a bottle that dramatically cuts packaging carbon, is shatterproof and protects product quality makes complete sense. It is a great example of how brands can reduce environmental impact without compromising performance or shelf appeal.’