How Graza disrupted the olive oil industry

What do you get when you cross disruptive packaging with influencer marketing?

A crazy successful launch leading to $500K in revenue and a complete sell-out of product in the first week. Without a single paid ad.

This is Graza’s success story, and there’s a lot to learn from it.

Graza who?

Graza is a company with a fresh take on olive oil that’s totally disrupting the industry. Get this, they put it in a SQUEEZY BOTTLE.

And before you culinary purists come for my neck, think for a second about the practicality of the design. Because I know damn well you’ve accidentally poured way too much olive oil on one of your dishes when using a big clunky glass bottle.

And if you haven’t, well, you’re a liar.

The packaging and design created by Gander is meant to reflect quality at every touch point. From the single-origin Spanish oil itself to the matte coated dark green bottle with funky modernized font, it’s a gorgini product.

AND BEFORE you environmentalists come for my neck, the bottles may be plastic, yes. But they are refillable via Graza’s first-to-market nitrogen-sealed 'beer can' refills. Another way in which the brand is revolutionizing olive oil packaging.

So why olive oil in squeezy bottles?

Andrew Benin, CEO of Graza, got hooked on olive oil while living in Spain. So he decided to sell Europe's best olive oil in the US.

He learnt from a friend about the atrocities of the olive oil industry. In case you didn't know, most of the mass-produced shite you find in supermarkets barely deserves the name. That's because it’s mostly cut with other oils. Meanwhile, the real stuff is gatekept with boutique pricing. Benin realized there was a gaping hole in the olive oil market.

Instead of joining the plethora of luxury olive oils on the shelves, why not sell it pure, at an affordable price point?

Goodness Grease-oius – that’s clever marketing!

It’s not just the product that was good. Months before the company even launched, Graza gifted 25 packs of olive oil a week to food creators. But they never chased clout from big names.

Instead, they opted for smaller influencers that could broaden consumer perception of what olive oil can be used for. Things like pizza, ice cream, no flourless chocolate cake. You know, all that modern food blogger type shi.

But here’s the twist. They asked for nothing in return. No payment for posts, no contract with talking points creators had to hit. Nothing. Just a simple gift – no strings attached.

This meant two things:

1. Creators could be imaginative with how they used and promoted this product.

2. The brand’s aesthetic would organically evolve into its own niche thing.

As the days grew closer to launch, Graza focused on bigger food creators such as chef Emily Marikos. And they planed for these packages to arrive righttttttt before launch day.

So they built brand awareness and buzz for months, all the way up until the day they officially launched.

In fact, within seven days of its debut, Graza boasted a 7.91% conversion rate on its site from its Instagram bio. They also saw an 181% increase in follower growth across its social accounts and a 429% increase in total post interactions, according to data shared with Marketing Brew.

Cue midnight. Day of Graza’s launch.

On the day they began making sales, they sold out of their initial batch within 24 hours. 32,504 units. Boom, out the door.

In just three months, they passed the 500K in revenue milestone.

This is testament to the careful consideration of the brand itself and their clever influencer marketing strategy.

So, what’s the takeaway?

• Build the buzz before. Graza went all out on social media marketing far before launching. This generated enough hype to have people waiting to pounce at the chance to buy a bottle.

• Pick the right creators. When it comes to influencer marketing, going for the big guns is great, but you can blow a lot of your budget on one audience. So Graza picked smaller creators that were enthusiasts of good quality food. If you’re stuck looking for influencers that fit your brand – check out SARAL. You’re welcome.

• Give a little. If you have the budget, gift your product instead of expecting specific content in return. This allows the creators to be playful and free with your product, while recognizing your brand as more authentic.

It appears even I’ve been influenced. I’ve never wanted to try an olive oil so badly in my life.

If you feel the same, here’s the link.

-Sophie, Copywriter