It was after trying multiple bottles of olive oil from family friends in Greece that Sarah Vachon made a professional pivot from tech marketing. These oils tasted better than anything she could find on the market shelf in London. And it wasn’t just the taste.
“I started to talk to them,” Sarah says. “‘How are you farming?’ ‘How do you sell this?’”
As she dug deeper, the answer became clear: most olive oil is treated like a commodity, squeezed into mass markets that underpay small farmers and degrade land in the process. “There are set market prices that really squeeze farmers,” she says. “And when farmers are squeezed, they cut quality, they degrade the land, they do everything in order to actually make any sort of livelihood from it.”
The realization she could bring a better olive oil to market led to Citizens of Soil, a modern olive oil brand rooted in ethical sourcing, soil health, and refillable design. Today, the business is changing the way people discover, consume, and connect with olive oil—one pour at a time.
Modifying a subscription model
With Citizens of Soil, Sarah wanted to emulate the best parts of direct-to-consumer brands: ease, education, and intimacy. Citizens of Soil launched with refill pouches and a subscription model—something she saw working well in categories like coffee and skin care.
But the early messaging wasn’t hitting the mark. “We changed the CTA on the site from ‘Subscribe for refills’ to ‘Join the club,’” she says. That one line unlocked an entirely new customer mindset.
Instead of being a transaction, the olive oil subscription offered an experience. Every month, customers receive a new oil from a small producer, along with tasting notes, recipes, and a story behind the grove. “That small step really transformed not only our sales, but how we thought about our whole business,” Sarah says.
Sourcing with integrity and intention
At the heart of Citizens of Soil is a supply chain built with values. Sarah leads sourcing herself, traveling across the Mediterranean to vet every new partner. The farms must be small-scale, practicing regenerative agriculture, and led (or co-led) by women.
“We are always looking for groves that are at least 50% female led,” Sarah says. “Someone making business decisions, not just like a token name on the estate.”
Once a farm passes the values checklist, the oil undergoes third-party testing for quality, freshness, and antioxidant levels. Some batches don’t make the cut, but that’s part of the mission: helping producers improve and come back stronger the next year.
From bottle shops to premium shelves
Citizens of Soil’s first wholesale orders came from hospitality friends turning their restaurants into bottle shops during lockdown. Starting with carefully curated local retailers provided the brand with gravitas among tastemakers.
Those early stockists helped build momentum into luxury stores. “Having a few incredible independents who were really championing us … led us to a path to Selfridges,” Sarah says.
But not all retail wins came easily. To land a distribution deal with Ocado, Sarah says, “I tracked down the buyer. I did everything to get myself in front of the buyer … like a crazy person.”
Before she met with Ocado’s buyer, Sarah did her homework. The research she shared showed that Ocado’s audience matched her customer base exactly, making the partnership a natural fit.
Funding growth without losing your mission
Bootstrapped at launch, Sarah initially packed orders from her flat and delivered the oil by hand, of course it wasn’t sustainable long term. Since olive oil is harvested once a year, capital is needed upfront to buy, bottle, and store inventory for months to come.
Citizens of Soil raised two million euros in seed funding, but Sarah was highly selective about where the money came from. “There were many [possible investors] that I was not comfortable with,” she says. “Some were not values aligned or personality aligned.”
The round brought in two women-led, impact-focused family offices and ensured that their mission stayed central as the brand scaled. “Now, with this latest one, it’s two female-led funds,” Sarah says. “Which is very rare.”
The investment also helped strengthen trust with the farmers. “One of my farmers from Portugal—this fundraise gave them confidence. Like, OK, money’s in the bank, Sarah can pay,” she says.
Learning by doing, leading with curiosity
Instead of seeing her inexperience in agriculture or food production as a hindrance, Sarah saw it as a strength. Her beginner’s mindset unlocked new ways to look at the business, at their funding model, at the product they offered “Who am I? I’m not a farmer, I’m not a producer. I’m not even from these countries, I’m from Texas,” she says with a laugh.
She took olive oil sommelier courses, went to harvests, talked to international judges, and visited dozens of groves. “I just wanted to learn and talk to every expert in the space,” she says.
That perspective, interested in seeing every aspect of the business, informs every decision at Citizens of Soil—from flavor profiles to sourcing strategy to education.
Planting a future for growth and purpose
Today, Citizens of Soil is more than a brand—it’s a network of regenerative farmers, small retailers, health-conscious customers, and people curious about what olive oil can be. Sarah’s producers now refer new farms, attend summits, and help shape the brand’s growth strategy.
As she looks ahead, Sarah is as focused on what’s happening on the ground as what’s on the shelf. “What we could potentially build up in these communities is really exciting,” she said. “This is ancestral land… and what we’re building here can have real cultural, environmental, and economic impact.”
To learn more about how Sarah is growing the sustainable olive oil industry, check out her full interview on Shopify Masters.
