In a past article, we have described to you the benefits and risks of oat milk for our health and for the health of the planet. It resulted to be a nutrient, tasty and eco-friendly plant-based beverage that goes great with coffee! At that point, we have started wondering how the matter of environmental sustainability is handled by oat milk companies. After conducting researches, we have selected some of the most interesting and original projects. And here we are, presenting you with 5 oat milk recommendations that are ready to amaze you!
OATLY – Oat Milk Recommendations
Let’s start with a name that many may already be familiar with, as it is one of the world’s most popular oat-based beverage brands. Oatly is an oat milk company born in Malmö, Sweden, whose origins date back to the 1990s. It was founded by the food scientist Rickard Öste and his brother Björn Öste. Oatly is one of the companies that started the oat milk business; catching consumers’ attention and providing them with an alternative to soy milk and almond milk. However, its founders had to wait a couple of decades before earning a spot among plant-based milk alternatives. You can find evidence in several articles that appeared in the New York Times, such as The Humble Ascent of Oat Milk.
OATLY’s Mission
Starting from some research carried out at the Lund University, in Sweden, Oatly has launched a project aimed at developing a sustainable production and distribution system. Visiting the company’s official website, you will find an extensive section dedicated to the Sustainability Update. This reports on the progress the brand has made annually regarding environmental sustainability. The company describes its commitment as follows; “At Oatly, our vision is to meet the climate emergency head on by driving a plant-based revolution and shifting toward a sustainable food system. That means delivering Oatly products to millions more people around the world while making long-term improvements that reduce our reliance on the planet’s resources.” There is still a long way to go, but this business is certainly not in a hurry!
PLANET OAT – Oat Milk Recommendations
We continue our journey into oat milk’s world by visiting another company that cares about the preservation of the environment. Planet Oat was founded in 2018 and is owned by the US dairy company HP Hood LLC based in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. Since the very beginning, the brand has made clear its position on the issue of climate change. In fact, it has launched the ‘Planet Oat Project’. This project commits to reversing course through collaboration with several non-profit organizations. Partners include Oceanic Society, Clean Trails, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and One Tree Planted. It is a project aimed at environmental sustainability in the round; starting with the preservation of the oceans and ending with reforestation.
PLANET OAT’s Mission
This company’s approach is all about collaboration and mutual respect. It produces its oat milk with an eye to water consumption, soil conservation, and greenhouse gas emissions. As the presentation of the Planet Oat Project makes clear, “Planet” is not just part of their name, it is part of their identity. By supporting the project, you can help the partner organizations grow and actually do something to help the planet. You can follow the progress of the #PlanetOatProject on social media. A team of environmentalists systematically documents the impact these organizations have on Earth by posting informative content at the global level.
ELMHURST – Oat Milk Recommendations
We fly to New York City and land at Elmhurst; a dairy company established in 1925 and owned by the Schwartz family. In 2017, it became a plant-based beverages company. Henry Schwartz had noticed that U.S. consumers were deciding to have healthier and more environmentally responsible diets; preferring plant-based alternatives to dairy products. He explained: “making plant milk might have seemed like a radical turn after a life in dairy; yet to me it was perfectly logical, probably even necessary.” Elmhurst started on this new chapter with the help of Dr. Cheryl Mitchell, a renowned plant food scientist, who devised the HydroRelease™ milling process. It uses only water to separate the natural components of grain; nut; or seed and then reassembles them into a smooth and creamy beverage. This maintains the nutritional values of the original ingredient, and it needs no gums or emulsifiers to hold the product together.
ELMHURST’s Mission
For Elmhurst, oat milk is only one of several options, but its approach to environmental stewardship is still noteworthy. The HydroRelease method is a zero-waste process, which means it uses all parts of every ingredient. On the official website, we read: “Elmhurst is dedicated to making plant milks the way they’re meant to be; with the simplest ingredients and by maximizing their nutrition.” In addition, the packaging is Forest Stewardship Council certified and 100% recyclable. Elmhurst’s commitment, however, does not stop there. On the brand’s official blog, you can find a great deal of informative content related to plant-based drinks; environmental preservation, and much more. Definitely a nice change of course in favor of a healthier and greener world!
DREAM PLANT BASED – Oat Milk Recommendations
We now travel to St. Louis, Missouri, to discover the world of Dream Plant Based, a company with ancient roots and a passion for adventure. Founder Robert Nissenbaum opened Morning Dew Organic Market in the early 1970s. Morning Dew was born out of Nissenbaum’s humble desire to share the benefits of a new lifestyle he had discovered. In 1982, he decided to expand and renamed the company Imagine Foods. Success came quickly and the food industry began to take Mr. Nissenbaum’s innovative ideas seriously. Today, DREAM™ is part of SunOpta, a leading company specialized in the sourcing, processing, and production of organic, natural, non-GMO plant-based, and fruit-based foods and beverages. Dream Plant Based not only makes organic, nutritious, and delicious products (including our cherished oat milk) but also has a special connection to sustainability.
DREAM’s Mission
“Giving back to the earth” is the key concept of the Dream Plant Based approach. As clarified on the official website – in the section dedicated to environmental sustainability – ‘care‘ is the number one ingredient in all DREA M™ products. Starting from cultivation and ending with packaging, this company is committed to reducing its environmental impact. DREAM™ feels the responsibility to preserve nature and to return to it at least in part what it has kept giving us without hesitation. In the world designed by Dream Plant Based, “food is more than nutrition. It is a celebration.” This company is just one of the living examples of how respect and awareness can go a long way in a world that cynically chases profit maximization.
WILLA’S KITCHEN – Oat milk recommendations
Last but not least, we’d like to introduce you to Willa’s Kitchen. Founders Christina and Elena Dorr Drake took inspiration from Grandma Willa’s recipe to start a full-fledged purpose brand. Willa’s great creativity and uncompromised attitude prompted her granddaughters to pay tribute to her by launching oat milk that tastes like home; is naturally sweet, and not overly processed. Due to the pandemic outbreak, the company had to adopt a dramatic change in its launch strategy. The Dorr Drake sisters gave up on food events. Instead, they decided to sell their products online and increase promotion on social media. During this period, Christina Dorr Drake was fighting against cancer. In an interview for the Brands in Action podcast, the CEO and co-founder admitted that when she was first diagnosed, she was very concerned about the future of the business. However, her condition prompted her to worry more about her diet.
WILLA’s Mission
Willa’s tries to be as transparent as possible in both the milling process and the choice of ingredients. Their products have whole organic ingredients and are also eco-friendly. They see themselves as challenging an entire category. Indeed, they use a clean and simple design, so that the most important things on the packaging speak for themselves. They choose to evoke simplicity because that is what the brand is grounded for. Christina and Elena describe their oat milk like this: “organic, non-GMO and sustainably produced, using the entire whole grain oat and real organic vanilla. […] you can feel good about drinking it, and serving it at your table, every single day.” Currently, Willa’s Kitchen is a company that produces only oat-based foods and drinks. However, its founders do not set limits and are open to the possibility of expanding the market to other categories. Of course, always strictly plant-based.
