New Zealand based goat milk formula brand, The LittleOak Company, has replaced high oleic sunflower oil with cold pressed olive oil in its products, aiming to offer the most natural and nutritious formula possible.
LittleOak is the maker of the world’s first 100 per cent palm oil free infant formulas and toddler milks, offering an alternative to conventional formulas that is naturally A2 and lower in lactose than cow milk.
Started in 2016, it quickly became the fastest-growing goat milk brand in Australia and New Zealand, and expanded to the US market in February 2024, with a packaging operation based in California. LittleOak also released a single-serve sachet format in September 2024, a first for the US market, and expanding into Sprouts Farmers Market stores across the country last year.
The company also expanded its Australian presence in 2024, opening warehouse facilities in Brisbane and Perth to reduce distribution times, stating it offers the fastest localised fulfilment of infant formula in the country.
LittleOak founder and CEO, Elke Pascoe, said the company had been working to replace the high-oleic sunflower oil with cold-pressed olive oil for many years.
“While many brands might choose cheaper ingredients for higher margins, that’s not how we do things at LittleOak,” said Pascoe.
“The so-called ‘grandfather oils’ like palm, soy, canola, rapeseed, and high oleic sunflower are still widely used in formulas, but they aren’t what’s best for babies. The most widely used techniques rely on chemicals and solvents in the oil extraction process, but we want none of that in our formula. All our oils are pressed to keep them pure and natural.”
High oleic sunflower oil typically requires refinement, bleaching, and deodorisation after extraction to remove impurities. Olive oil is a naturally rich source of oleic acid, and contains high levels of polyphenol antioxidants, which LittleOak stated are largely absent in industrially processed sunflower oil.
“From the very beginning, we were very clear on our commitment to uncompromisingly reject chemical processing, adopt a less-is-more processing approach, and avoid unnecessary synthetics. This step is truly a world first and an important development in ensuring all our little ones have access to the healthiest start we can give them in life,” said Pascoe.
“We don’t make these updates for recognition or for awards or to be the first but because it’s genuinely the best thing for babies. We do not cut corners, and this innovation is yet more evidence of that. No other company is doing what we are doing.”
The LittleOak range is available at pharmacies and independent grocers across Australia, as well as online at thelittleoakcompany.com.au.
