10 Years & Exclusive Preview
Farmer Duncan Farrington launched Farrington’s Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil in 2005. Produced on the Farrington’s family farm in Northamptonshire, we have since expanded our award-winning range to include dressings and mayonnaise. However, it was two years before its launch in 2003 that Duncan decided to become a LEAF Demonstration Farm and planted rapeseed crops under the LEAF Marque standard. This decision to grow and produce his brand of cold pressed rapeseed oil to the highest environmental standards raised the bar of British produced culinary oils as he led the growth of the sector within the UK and numerous awards followed.
Duncan started selling bottles of Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil to independent retailers from the boot of his car. Since then he has seen sales of Mellow Yellow grow as consumers switch to using the British product over other culinary oils. Duncan Farrington, said, “We are still a small farm producer. Compared to the olive oil and sunflower oil market in the UK we generate only a fraction of sales but we have focused on quality and grown sustainably. We will continue to produce a high-quality product that is accessible to everyone, from home cooks to the leading chefs in the world”.
Leading chefs to discover Farrington’s early on included Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson. Duncan introduced himself to Jamie at a trade show in 2006, and since then has produced one of Jamie’s brands of rapeseed oil as well as being on the menu at his Union Jacks restaurant. Nigella was an early fan too, naming Farrington’s Mellow Yellow as her rapeseed oil of choice in her book Kitchen. More recently, we were chosen by Michel Roux Jr’s Cookery School to become a partner. The school contacted Farrington’s because their chefs have been using the oil since the school opened in 2013.
We received our first Gold Taste award for the oil in 2006, with the latest Gold Star awarded to our flagship cold pressed rapeseed oil in 2014. Duncan’s wife Eli Farrington shares his passion and with her meticulous approach, has produced our dressings and mayonnaise recipes, again picking up many awards. Continuing to strive for quality, the range is one of the few widely available that is completely free from additives and is Vegetarian Society Accredited and Coeliac UK Approved.
A key part of the rebrand involved customer research. We asked customers what they like about the Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil and what’s important to them when selecting a culinary oil. Based on this research, we have simplified the information on the front, retaining the important elements, particularly the British flag as provenance is one of the most important factors for shoppers.