The archive · Brand & Identity · Strategic decision · 2022
Graza sells single-origin olive oil in a squeezy bottle — playful anti-heritage branding
Graza put very fancy single-origin Spanish oil in a decidedly un-fancy squeezy bottle, then let the brand skip heraldry for playfulness.
Graza · Gander
What it had to solve
High-quality, single-origin Spanish olive oil is usually sold wrapped in heritage cues — faux heraldry, decorative European flags, the look of a century-old estate. Graza wanted the opposite: oil people actually use, and a brand that gives them permission to have fun with it.
How it works
Graza sells high-quality, single-origin Spanish olive oil in a squeezy bottle — very fancy oil in a decidedly un-fancy format. The brand identity was built to reflect that unexpected union and to grant people permission to finally have fun with their oil.
Most premium olive oil brands borrow the look of old European estates, with faux heraldry and decorative flags. Graza went the other way with Gander: radical honesty and playfulness, so the brand could show it takes olives seriously without pretending to have been around for 100 years.
The squeezy bottle makes the point physically: this is oil you pick up, squeeze, and use every day, not a bottle kept for special occasions. The identity carries that same message through the packaging, giving the category a premium product that behaves like a condiment.
The result was a packaging and brand story whose central idea is contradiction — fancy oil, un-fancy format — turned into a permission to use good oil generously. The work was filed in D&AD's awards archive under Packaging Design.
Why it lands
- The squeezy bottle makes premium oil tactile and casual, so the packaging itself argues for daily use before a word is read.
- Dropping the faux heraldry and European flags removes the fake age premium other oils hide behind, making the brand read as honest.
- Playfulness on a premium product widens who feels allowed to buy and use it — the brand says anyone can use good oil, every day.
- The contrast of fancy oil and un-fancy format is memorable enough to carry the whole identity without extra explanation.
What it did
The brand no longer needed to look 100 years old to prove it takes olives seriously: the squeezy format and playful, honest identity made premium oil feel approachable rather than precious. The work was filed in D&AD's awards archive under Packaging Design.
What you can take
You can signal seriousness without fake heritage: when a premium product drops the category's decorative codes, the honesty itself becomes the distinction and invites daily use.
Since then
Graza's brand and packaging stayed built around the squeezy bottle and the playful, honest identity, so the founding idea — very fancy oil in a very un-fancy format — remained the core of how the brand talked. The work was filed in D&AD's awards archive under Packaging Design, where the entry records the move as giving people permission to have fun with their oil.
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