Artisanal oil brand By Evolve has packaged its organic extra virgin olive oil in a cylindrical reusable bottle made from laboratory glass (+ slideshow).
By Evolve was set up by husband and wife Alex and Rute Theodorou, who launched the Evolvia olive oil as the brand's first product.
Alex, who studied at Central Saint Martins arts college in London, designed the packaging for the oil – widely used for cooking – and worked with British craftspeople to create the bottle.
"The packaging is intended to be as beautiful, considered and honest as the product it carries, which is the ultimate compliment to this very special olive oil," he told Dezeen.
The 400-millilitre glass bottle is handmade in England by a family-run glass-making factory, which manufactured the world's first X-ray tubes and laboratory glassware.
Its tall cylindrical form is topped with a solid brass cap, which is turned and laser-etched by a company in Birmingham.
"The Keep-Forever Pourer is designed and built to last many lifetimes, this is why we wanted to create a timeless piece, an object that sits comfortably in any design period – be that early 20th-century Bauhaus, the present or 100 years in the future," said Alex.
The transparent glass was chosen to show off the colour of the oil, which is sourced from olives grown in Portugal's Douro Valley.
"The region of Douro is famed for its Port, but what many people don't know is that the area has a strong heritage of producing incredible olive oil," said Rute, whose family comes from the area.
The glass pourer comes in a black gift box decorated with thin typography and costs £170. Black refill pouches containing enough oil to fully top up the bottle are designed to match the box.
Evolvia is available exclusively from luxury London department store Fortnum and Mason.
Similarly minimal packaging was used by a Greek company that chose to present its oil in circular bottles.
Designer Michael Young has also created a glass bottle for a Portuguese olive oil brand, while test tubes of the liquid line one wall at a high-tech workshop for a Michelin-starred chef.