The cult of Perello > How a heritage brand keeps winning new audiences.

Step into any trendy small-plates spot in East London, and you’re almost guaranteed to spot a can of Perelló olives, often repurposed as a cutlery holder.  Synonymous with natural wine, Birkenstocks, and Torres crisps, the humble tin has evolved from snack to lifestyle signifier.

The recent 2025 Picante x Perelló collaboration has pushed this even further, turning the traditional Spanish olive into a statement that fuses heritage branding with contemporary streetwear aesthetics.

Perelló’s journey highlights the power of heritage branding, where product and presentation are equally essential. From its beginnings at a small market stall at Barcelona’s Boqueria Market, the brand has stayed true to its roots while evolving its visual identity to resonate with a younger, savvy audience. The Gordal olive, once simply a mark of quality, now signals lifestyle ambitions and personality traits far beyond liking olives.

Of course, this transformation didn’t happen overnight. Early adoption by chefs and specialty stores cemented the brand’s credibility, while social media amplified it, turning chef-endorsed pantry staples into “holy grail products” for food lovers and influencers alike. Perelló’s minimalist design, paired with a highly praised product, positioned it perfectly in an era where social media offers unprecedented transparency into chefs’ shopping habits. Product placement and picking the right influencers became integral to this strategy - but so did having a good enough product to be worth promoting.

Perello has carefully chosen to showcase influencers who already have a lot of capital in the food influencer category; recent collaborations / posts have come from the likes of Claire Thomson, Dr. Sophie Rushton-Smith and Georgina Burgess - who collectively have almost 1 million followers on Instagram.

The true impact of Perelló’s cultural influence extends far beyond the kitchen & social media chefs. The Anya Hindmarch x Perelló tote bag (£595) exemplifies this, transforming a humble tin of olives into a fashion statement. 

Collaborations have been central to building this cachet.

The 2025 Picante x Perello partnership could not exist without the 2024 Picante Summer Collection, which featured use of the Perello logo without permission. A cease and desist letter was sent, but out of it a partnership flourished, following Picante reaching out for an official collaboration. 10 months later, a launch party at Brindisa Tapas and the official Picante branded olive tins, the (now official) Perello x Picante collection dropped.

The campaign cements Perelló’s status as a culinary icon for a younger generation, showcasing a new approach to brand culture where visibility and engagement often outweigh guarding assets.  

Ultimately, Perelló demonstrates that heritage brands can be both authentic and modern. Through clever collaborations and a product that excels on its own merits, the brand has become a cultural icon. A tin of olives that commands attention, even if you can’t stand brine. Proving that it's as much about identity as it is about flavour.

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At Propellant, we see brands like Perello as a blueprint for how businesses can honour their heritage, by building out authentic brand platforms that connect meaningfully with consumers.