Hojiblanca’s Olive Oil Bottle Wins Worldstar Prize

The World Packaging Organization (WPO) awarded Hojiblanca extra virgin olive oil packaging with the Worldstar prize at the Worldstar packaging contest in 2011. The prize was for its eye-catching 17 ounce extra virgin olive oil glass bottle with a built-in pourer. Hojiblanca USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Grupo Hojiblanca, plans to soon bring the award winning bottle to more US supermarkets.

Sandéleh Alimentos, a food processing plant and representative of Hojiblanca in Brazil, is responsible for entering the bottle in the Foodstuff category at the WorldStar packaging contest. According to Fabrizio Libanio, the bottle’s designer, the goal was to conserve the olive oil effectively. The idea for a dark green glass was born because olive oil needs to be packaged in opaque or tinted glass. Otherwise, valuable nutrients begin to oxidize and lose its fruit flavor. Also taken into consideration was the bottle’s impact on the environment. Glass containers are 100% recyclable. As such, glass containers make for a truly sustainable package. Recycling glass has big environmental payoffs, saving raw materials, while decreasing the demand for energy. In addition, using glass cuts down on CO2 emissions. The last step in the design process was to apply the sleeve label on the bottle. Since the bottle looks like a tetra brick with four sides, the designer had to apply heat to shrink the label, so it would cover all sides of the bottle. The result was a design that was appropriate for all four sides of the bottle, which facilitates exposure and safe handling. “This award puts our packaging among the best ones in the world. It retains brand recognition, while positioning the product better at the retail level. Hojiblanca aims for its packaging to minimize waste, to maintain freshness, and for it to be safe,” says Enrique Escudero, CEO of Hojiblanca USA, Inc. Hojiblanca www.hojiblancausa.com