Oat drinks are the fastest-growing plant-based beverages

Consumer love for oat drinks is snowballing, propelling oats past other plant-based raw materials to become the most important ingredient in many large markets. Oat beverages are by far the fastest growing plant-based drink that consumers love pouring in their coffee, on their breakfast cereal and using anywhere else they’ve typically used milk from cows. Get all you need to seize this huge opportunity, with a complete solution from a pioneer in oat beverage processing and packaging.

Three key trends driving oat growth

Suddenly, oat drinks are everywhere — maybe even replacing dairy milk in your own cup of coffee this morning. Beverage producers of all kinds — from dairies to soft drinks manufacturers to start-ups — have taken note and are scrambling to get in on the act. But even after several years of exponential growth in key markets, industry experts suggest the popularity of oat drinks is just getting started.

Quick guide to oat beverage production

Oats are taking over fast. So what do you need to do right now to capitalise on the oat beverage boom? How should you design your process to achieve the right product quality, secure food safety and be as cost and resource-efficient as possible? What’s your quickest, smartest path to launch — a new complete line or conversion of an existing line? And which base material should you choose to optimise your operational and investment costs and time to market?

Helping Oatly grow with advanced automation

As the plant-based trend has grown so rapidly in recent years, renowned oat-based product manufacturer Oatly has seen a dramatic increase in demand for its innovative range of products. As a result, the business is increasing production capacity on a global scale. The team at Oatly decided that the best way to scale up would be to implement advanced automation across all sites, and they have identified the optimal solution.

Production expertise

Food experts

Behind the beverage: Meet the people who help bring your oat drinks to life 

It takes a committed team of professionals — including food scientists, technologists, strategists and engineers — to bring oat beverages to market. We spoke to some of the experts behind our integrated offer — from product development and processing, to process automation and packaging — about how they can support customers joining the oat boom, and how they see the category developing.

Package with oat drink

How to convert your existing line and ride the oat wave​

Want to get started with oat drinks faster and minimise your investment cost? Find out how you can convert your existing dairy milk line or other plant-based beverage line to produce oat drinks — instead of buying a whole new processing line. You could be up and running within as quickly as two weeks to four months depending on your situation.

Top pitfalls in oat beverage production – and how to avoid them

Oat-based drinks are booming, but developing potential oat products requires deep knowledge, expertise…and insights into common production pitfalls. From dealing with hydrolyzation and yields through to choosing a heat treatment system, learn what mistakes and misconceptions to avoid to ensure your move into oats is successful.

Flexible production is crucial

For producers who want to capture the growing number of consumers who favour plant-based beverages over dairy milk, one thing is crucial: flexibility. With consumer trends shifting fast, the ability to test new products and scale up quickly is a must to help you keep up. So how can you get the required flexibility built-in from the start? And easily upgrade as new demands arise and sales grow?
Tetra Pak In-line Blender B for final beverage

In-line blending takes the guesswork out of plant-based beverages

In-line blending revolutionises the standardization of carbohydrate, fat, protein and other essential components, which can vary widely in plant-based ingredients.

Woman in grocery store reading ingredients

Allergens and food safety: How we help you evaluate the risks

Up to two percent of adults and up to eight percent of children have a food allergy. For many of them, exposure to even trace amounts can trigger a dangerous reaction.

Oat milk in glass

White paper: Oat-based processing challenges and techniques

Unlike dairy milk and other beverages, plant-based products based on oats are relatively new in the market. If you are considering adding oats to your product portfolio, our white paper on the processing challenges and techniques specific to oats gives you valuable orientation and guidance.

How to reduce energy, water and waste in oat drink processing

Considerable reductions can be made in utility consumption and waste generation in oat drink production if you invest in the right equipment. Our sustainability expert Lilly Li suggests a four-step approach: avoid, recover, optimise and neutralise.

Mouthfeel and oat beverages​

The term “mouthfeel” is used to describe sensations we experience when eating or drinking. It is more important to us humans than you might think. Case in point: The English language has more than 80 words that apply to mouthfeel, while the Japanese have an astonishing 400+ words. This goes to show just how essential it is to our perception and enjoyment of food and beverages.

The surprising versatility of oats

Oat drinks are extremely versatile in formulation. This lets you target specific consumers with tailored product profiles – and produce more or less any product you could formulate with ordinary dairy milk:
  • Clean-label – just water, oats, oil, salt
  • Functional – with nutrients such as calcium and vitamins or stabilisers for specific properties
  • Flavoured – chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc.
  • Blended – with milk or fruit juice
  • Beyond beverage – 10-15% oat extract for yoghurt, cooking cream, cheese, ice cream and more
Oat milk latte with thick foam

Best-practice lines

Best-practice line for oat beverages – based on oat flakes or grains

This line includes grinding and a highly controlled enzyme treatment and deactivation process to achieve the desired product flavour. Fibre separation, powerful high shear mixing and homogenisation optimise beverage properties. Heat treatment ensures food safety.
View this line in ProductXplorer

Best-practice line for oat beverages – based on oat flour

This line begins with powerful high shear mixing. Next comes a highly controlled enzyme treatment and deactivation process to achieve the desired product flavour. Fibre separation, powerful high shear mixing and homogenisation optimise beverage properties. Heat treatment ensures food safety.
View this line in ProductXplorer

Best-practice line for oat beverages – based on oat compound

This line begins with powerful high shear mixing to give you full formulation control, allowing you to fine tune products to match consumers’ texture and taste preferences. Choose between two different heat treatment methods to ensure food safety.
View this line in ProductXplorer

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