According to data released by The Good Food Institute (GFI) and the trade group Plant Based Food Association (PBFA), sales of oat milk in the United Sates surged by 686 percent in 2019. With this increased consumer demand, we took a look at Swedish company Oatley and their range of plant-based dairy alternatives.
Oatley strives to always deliver “products that have maximum nutritional value and minimal environmental impact”. Describing themselves as a “nutritious liquid product for people who don’t like cow’s milk or are unwilling to use it for personal reasons”, Oatley uses Swedish oats in each of their products and their products are organic and focused on natural flavours.
Yogurt
Oatley also offers some “smooth and creamy” healthy yogurt alternatives. They come in flavours like strawberry – which is packed with vitamin D2, B12 and calcium, raspberry flavour – which Oatley says is “guaranteed to be our best flavour yet” and vanilla flavour, which is not too sweet. There is also a Turkish yogurt option which is similar to dairy-based Turkish yogurt in the sense that it is thick, smooth and has a pleasant sour flavour and Oatley says it is “among the best products we have ever created”.
‘On the Go’
For those looking for something more practical and are coffee lovers, Oatley provide an ‘on the go’ range. These include a mocha latte, cold brewed latte and matcha latte. These flavours are 100% vegan and made up of “100% fair-trade arabica coffee beans” while still containing the same amount of caffeine as a large cup of black coffee.
Children
Oatly also provide junior oat drinks for children. These come in small packages and contain no milk, no soy and no nuts. However, they do provide all the good stuff that is in their adult drinks – the junior drinks are packed with natural carbs and the extra vitamins like vitamin D2, B12 and riboflavin to aid children in their development. The cocoa used is also UTZ certified meaning the farmers are given fair working conditions and follows their philosophy to be a “good company”.
Cooking
Oatley is not just for drinking – with cream alternatives like ‘creamy oat’ products, it stretches its products into cooking. The creamy oat is a single cream alternative which makes it perfect for vegans who want to enjoy curries. Anyone else wanting to eat healthier can also enjoy this as it is suitable for those who are lactose intolerant and meat eaters. Oatley says if you use this as a dairy cream alternative for guests without telling them, Oatley are “pretty sure they will not be able to tell the difference”
Ice Cream
Covering the drinks, yogurt and cooking, Oatley does not abandon deserts. With many flavours of ice cream like salted caramel, chocolate, caramel hazel nut and vanilla, Oatley provides a dairy alternative for any vegans wishing to enjoy ice cream. Though, if you are health conscious this may not be the best option – Oatley acknowledges that some flavours of their ice cream like double chocolate fudge ice cream “breaks all our own records for healthiness” in order to maintain a great taste.
What is great is that Oatley are transparent about the health sacrifices they make in order to create their delicious products – under each of their products on their website, Oatley provides a ‘what might be less amazing’ tab where they elaborate on some health aspects of their recipes. For example, some of their products contain saturated fat in order to make them more spreadable and smoother and consumers can keep this in mind when considering whether Oatley is the right alternative for them.
Oatley’s growth is a part of the overall growth of the vegan market as more consumers switch to animal-free products.
