Dressed to Impress, Canola Oil as Haute Cuisine
Canola Digest, Jan/Feb 2007

Today’s consumers are balancing their desire for great-tasting food with the need for a healthier diet. Canola oil is well recognized as a healthy option for food preparation and manufacturing, but it is also satisfying a niche market that craves gourmet cuisine.

Instead of producing standard flavors and packaging, several Canadian companies are marketing a limited supply of cold-pressed canola oils, beautifully bottled to entice the eyes as well as the palette.

Pristine Oils by Persall Naturals
Jason and Linda Persall launched Persall Naturals Ltd., a line of premium oils produced from the crops they grow near their Waterford, Ontario. The line includes 100 percent pure, cold-pressed oils sold under the name Pristine Oils. “We saw an opportunity to create and market a cold-pressed virgin canola oil to go up against virgin olive oil,” says Jason Persall. “Our oil is full flavored, has brilliant color and is very aromatic.”
Persall Naturals Ltd. has been getting plenty of attention from consumers, chefs, the food industry, and even the media. “We have really blown away media such as Toronto Life Magazine, Global Morning News, (and) City Line,” says Persall. “We have worked very hard in promoting our business model: Farm to table. A gourmet chef takes great pride in creating the finest food. We, the ‘gourmet farmer’, take great pride in growing the food they use, and providing quality processing as well.”

Highwood Crossing Canola Oil
Alberta is home to Highwood Crossing, a farm-based company gaining success for its canola oils that are organic, cold-pressed and made to order. Tony Marshall, co-owner of Highwood Crossing, is meeting an emerging demand for high-quality foods grown locally to increase the freshness of the product and decrease the need for preservatives. Marshall explains, “We press to order what we need for that week and then ship it out.  It’s in the seed on Monday and in the stores and restaurants by Friday.”
Market reaction to Highwood Crossing’s products, which are packaged like premium priced Italian oils, has been particularly strong from local chefs and restaurateurs. Marshall says it is the commitment to superior quality and ecological preservation that has made the difference. “More and more chefs are becoming interested in the whole idea of eating locally, eating fresh and eating seasonally,” says Marshall.

For information on Persall Naturals Ltd., visit www.persallnaturals.ca. For information on Highwood Crossing, visit www.highwoodcrossing.com.