In recent years, we’ve seen letterbox flowers, letterbox dishwasher tablets and now we have letterbox olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil, to be exact.
While many supermarket options are actually a blend of different oils, with little information on their origin and production processes, Citizens of Soil prioritises ethical practices and impeccable traceability – all available through a convenient subscription model. Here’s how the company is shaking things up.
10 reasons to try letterbox olive oil from Citizens of Soil
1. It’s produced by female and small-scale growers
Citizens of Soil takes a ‘female-led’ approach and champions underrepresented groups in farming, paying them above the standard market rates. On each bottle of olive oil, you'll find the names of the growers who produced it.
2. Its growers help boost biodiversity
All the farmers behind Citizens of Soil use diverse planting methods to support the local environment and allow animal grazing between groves for natural fertiliser! Where possible, they avoid tilling the ground, which can can disrupt the soil and reduce its quality.
3. Its transparency and traceability is impressive
Where Citizens of Soil really stands out is the sheer amount of information it gives for each of its oils. When you buy online, you can see the specific variety of olive used for each bottle, when and where the olives were harvested and how quickly they were milled afterwards.
4. It comes in stylish reusable bottles
Citizens of Soil has created reusable glass bottles, so you can keep the same one and just top up the olive oil with one of the brand’s refills. Not only do the bottles make pouring simple, but they also look stylish on a shelf.
Buy a bottle or choose a starter pack for your first order.
5. You can order refillable and recyclable pouches
Whether you’ve bought a bottle or already have an oil decanter at home, you can top it up with one of the brand’s refill pouches to reduce packaging waste. According to Citizens of Soil, its pouches produce 15 times less carbon than its bottles.
Once a pouch is empty, just send it back for free recycling. Find out how the refills work for more information.
6. It’s available on subscription
There’s no need to keep reordering your extra virgin olive oil if you set up a subscription. You can pause, skip or cancel it anytime, and switch the frequency between every month and every other month to suit your usage.
You can also start a three-, six- or 12-month gift subscription and save up to 20% per pouch.
7. It’s letterbox-friendly
Innovative companies now deliver everything from flower bouquets to cleaning supplies and cakes through the letterbox, and Citizens of Soil is following suit. No need to worry about deliveries left on the doorstep, given to neighbours or sent back to the depot – your olive oil will be waiting for you inside.
8. It’s packed with antioxidants
Most olive oil contains antioxidants but certain olive varieties and production processes, as well as a long shelf life, reduce its polyphenols (natural plant compounds that combat cancer, heart disease, and other health issues).
Citizens of Soil makes sure all its olive oil is in the “high polyphenol” category, with 250mg or more per kilo, and even makes some batches with triple that amount, to make sure they’re still high after being bottled for a year.
Read more about polyphenols in Citizens of Soil’s blog post.
9. It comes with taste profile and pairing notes
Like wine and coffee, olive oils have distinct flavour profiles, which can help you find your favourites and match them with your meals.
Citizens of Soil takes out the guesswork by describing its oil’s key flavours and perfect food partners. It also grades each of its oils for fruitiness, pepperiness and bitterness from ‘mellow’ to ‘intense’, making it easy to compare varieties and get delicious recipe inspiration – even for olive oil amateurs.
10. One percent of total sales go to soil non-profits
As well as paying its growers above market rate and supporting sustainable farming methods, Citizens of Soil gives 1% of the company’s total annual sales to projects in soil regeneration, including Kiss The Ground and the Sustainable Soils Alliance.
Try the letterbox Mother’s Day olive oil for a handwritten gift card on wildflower seed paper
Citizens of Soil’s Mother’s Day gift box – “made by a mother, for a mother” – makes a thoughtful choice this March. It includes a 500ml pouch of “grassy and peppery” oil, which was harvested by the Amargiotakis family in the village of Dafnes, Crete in November 2023.
The team will hand write your chosen message on a card made from wildflower seed paper, which your mum can plant in the garden.
Order a Mother's Day gift pouch from Citizens of Soil (£15.00)
Or, if you're interested in trying some of the brand's other products, see Citizens of Soil's full collection.
