London-based further virgin olive oil firm Citizens of Soil, a DTC enterprise bringing premium olive oil from small-batch, family-run farms to shoppers, has secured €2.1 million in Seed funding.
The spherical was co-led by FIGR Ventures and a personal household workplace, alongside extra strategic traders.
Sarah Vachon, Co-founder and CEO of Residents of Soil commented: “We’re delighted to have secured this funding, which is able to allow us to take Residents of Soil to the subsequent degree. Consumers are more and more in search of high-quality, nutritious meals experiences that supply complete transparency, and we’re dedicated to bringing the very best further virgin olive oils on to their kitchens.
“With the help of our traders, we are going to proceed to scale our influence with small-scale producers, innovate the class, develop our workforce, and develop internationally to share our ardour for premium olive oil and the land it was grown on with an excellent wider viewers.”
Based in 2021 by Michael and Sarah Vachon, Residents of Soil is on a mission to revolutionise how individuals expertise olive oil, providing further virgin olive oils from producers who practise regenerative farming, with a concentrate on working with underrepresented feminine farmers.
Led by an olive oil sommelier, they associate with artisan producers who prioritise flavour and diet, which led them to reportedly grow to be essentially the most awarded further virgin olive oil model on the 2024 Nice Style Awards.
They prioritise small-batch groves that farm in concord with nature – constructing resilience into the land in addition to the communities round them.
What started as a aspect hustle to help household buddies in Crete quickly uncovered a “damaged business” – one riddled with mass manufacturing that drives poor transparency, underpaid farmers, degraded soils, and in the end low-quality oils missing all of the flavour and diet that this “tremendous meals” ought to include – in line with Residents of Soil.
Sarah and Michael needed to chop out the middlemen, champion impartial producers, and ship brisker, extra flavourful olive oil, whereas selling sustainable farming and soil well being.
Fiona Humphries, Managing Director of FIGR Ventures added: “We’re excited to help Residents of Soil on its journey to redefine the olive oil market. The workforce’s modern strategy, mixed with a real ardour for creating the best-tasting, most sustainably-produced oil, units them aside in a sector at present dominated by mass-produced, blended oils. With this funding, they’re well-positioned to scale their enterprise and produce their distinctive merchandise to much more clients.”
The most recent funding spherical follows a interval of fast development for Residents of Soil, which has seen a surge in demand as buyers search out premium, ethically-sourced meals merchandise.
This newest funding is FIGR Ventures’ second, following their first funding into UK-based resale trend tech startup TRUSS final yr. Launched in late 2024, FIGR invests in mission-driven client companies, sometimes at pre-seed and seed phases. The fund completely invests in companies with the potential to drive optimistic environmental or social change.
This funding will speed up Residents of Soil’s development via new product launches, growth of its senior management workforce, and funding in advertising to extend model consciousness.
The UK’s first ‘Olive Oil Membership’ will even take its first steps into worldwide markets, constructing on its rising neighborhood of olive oil lovers who care about high quality, sustainability and moral manufacturing.
