Australian olive oil ingredient producer seeks to bring improved traceability to the US

03 Apr 2018 --- Expanding into the US, Boundary Bend Wellness is aiming to bring traceability, standardization and science to the olive oil industry, and creating new opportunities for the US’ natural products industry. A wholly owned subsidiary of Boundary Bend Limited, Australia’s largest vertically integrated olive oil producer, Boundary Bend Wellness focuses exclusively on the extraction and supply of scientifically validated and fully traceable specialty ingredients and wellness products for use in the nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, sports nutrition, food, beverage and pet food industries. 

In addition to its Australian operations, the company now operates olive groves, a mill and a fully accredited lab in Woodland, California, to serve the US market. While the US is the fourth-largest market for olive oil consumption globally, consumers often know very little about where our olive oil comes from. In the Mediterranean, for example, millions of small farmers sell their products through co-ops and third-party distributors, making full vertical integration and standardization nearly impossible. 

“Launched 17 years ago, Boundary Bend produces about 70 percent of the olive oil consumed in Australia,” says Boundary Bend Wellness Technical Director Leandro Ravetti. “Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is our core business; its antioxidants and other natural wellness properties are precious. We soon started exploring alternatives for other parts of the olive fruit and tree. We’ve developed unique processes to develop olive products closer to EVOO’s properties than anyone else has been able to accomplish.” 

“Globally, there have been major shifts in how consumers learn about, discover, engage with, and experience products. With health products in particular, the consumer’s experience has been accelerated by leaps and bounds. We've observed specific phases. First, they’re digitally inundated by clever marketers who are pushing brands that aren’t necessarily honest about what is in their products,” T. Dustin Williams, President North America at Boundary Bend Wellness, tells NutritionInsight. 

“As the consumer educates themselves, they become increasingly discerning about what products they choose and why. This process has created a paradox for most companies, but for the very few that have truly honest and traceable processes from start to finish,” he adds.

Boundary Bend Wellness follows a branch-to-bottle business model, under GMP quality control systems. This enables it to deliver optimal quality with full traceability, from its nursery and grove operations to its harvesting, processing, storage, rigorous testing, packaging and distribution, the company reports. 

The demonstrated benefits of olive products include cardiovascular, immune, bone and liver health, as well as weight and inflammation management. Boundary Bend Wellness’ range includes:
●       Olive Leaf Extract (OLE): The olive leaf contains a diverse range of antioxidants, the most prominent of which are two biophenols: oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol. Boundary Bend Wellness is setting new OLE standards, offering a range of antioxidant-rich liquid OLEs for oral use, standardized to oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol – olefresh 4000, olefresh 5000 and olefresh 6000 – supported by a significant body of scientific evidence.  
 
“Our OLEs are produced with fresh leaves and without the use of solvents,” says Ravetti. “Many other OLEs on the market are made with dry leaves imported from multiple countries, which is not necessarily the cleanest or freshest way.  

●        Specialty Grade High Biophenol EVOO: Olive oil production yields a variety of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients. Boundary Bend Wellness’s EVOO contains twice the amount of biophenols as standard supermarket EVOO, and up to 15 times more total antioxidants. 

“This is why our EVOO is linked to so many health advantages that other olive oils can’t claim,” explains Ravetti. “There are easily 100 times more peer-reviewed papers about EVOO, and now increasingly olive leaf extract and other olive-related products, than other fashionable products on the market such turmeric or coconut oil.“

“For so long, the oil of the olive plant has been the focus of the market and marketers, not the entire plant. One of our challenges has been shifting this mindset and illuminating and educating our market about the goodness that comes from the entirety of the olive tree,” Williams tells NutritionInsight about the challenges of bringing quality products to the markets.

“Traditionally, a company’s initial challenge is in getting their product to a baseline level on par with the in-market competition. We, on the other hand, are able to surpass, right out of the gate, what is currently in the market due to how healthful our plants are. We are able to truly focus on making what is already great, better, through tests, trials, and educating on the ‘why,’” Williams adds.
 
Speaking to NutritionInsight about the company’s future projects, Williams says Boundary Bend Wellness is “working on a comprehensive and ongoing clinical and R&D research plan that will result in ongoing improvement and development of our products and processes. This includes the release of unique and clinically efficacious dietary supplements.” 

“These processes produce the healthiest plants on earth. There are many areas where the benefits of olive products (e.g., olive leaf extract, olive leaf tea, and other olive products) have not been fully explored, and we see these as opportunities to expand the uses for these incredible products. We believe it is our mission to add to the body of scientific evidence and further strengthen scientific research in this area. People all over the world will reap the health benefits of these products.”

by Lucy Gunn