THE COLOUR REVOLUTION
What if we reinvented the colour of olive oil to open the door to a new way of enjoying it? A question we spent a year trying to answer.
Where art meets Gastronomy
At L'Aurea, colour isn't decoration — it's emotion, culture and innovation. Once we understood how much it shapes the way we taste, we couldn't unsee it. So we asked: what if olive oil could say something new before the first drop even touches the plate?
How does color influence what we eat?
The colour of food clearly influences our behaviour as consumers. If one thing has been proven, it is that the expectations a colour creates in us directly influence the taste experience that product gives us.
If something is red, we expect it to taste of fruit or sweetness; if it is green, freshness or vegetables; if it is golden, perhaps something crunchy.
But it is not just about sight. It is also about how colour interacts with other senses such as smell or even touch, offering a sensory journey that shapes our experience when tasting it.
How We Changed the Colour of Olive Oil
It took over a year, two research institutions, and more failed attempts than we'd like to admit.
We didn't want a shortcut. We wanted olive oil that was naturally pink — without losing a single thing that makes EVOO great. And 100% natural
So we worked with food specialists who had never attempted anything like it, trying dozens of plant-based pigments until we found the one that added colour and changed nothing else: beetroot concentrate, at less than 5%. No flavour change. No loss of purity.
The result: the world's first pink extra virgin olive oil. Organic and exactly what a great EVOO should be — just in a colour nobody had seen before.
OUR R&D PARTNERS
A world-leading centre for food innovation. Tecnalia helped us find a way to add colour without ever touching the oil's profile— its flavour, its purity, its character. Months of trials, one result: a pink that behaves exactly like nature intended.
Working closely with Professor Pía López-Izquierdo, we studied the potential of colour to enhance the culinary experience — starting with Aurelia's pink. New variants might take shape in the future.
