Leading plant-based brand Alpro has announced a major investment in the UK to allow its most popular oat drink to be made from 100% British Oats for the first time, sourcing its oats directly from British farmers.
The 100% British Oats drink is the result of a multi-million-pound investment in the UK by parent company, Danone, in a drive to support local farming and bolster its plant-based offering. It builds on Alpro’s previous £41 million investment in its facility in Kettering, which saw the installation of new equipment to reduce energy consumption and cut CO2 and water usage.
Oat drinks are continuing to grow in popularity in the UK, with sales climbing to more than £275 million – up from £155 million five years ago.4 This year, oat drinks make up two-fifths of all plant-based drink sales, up from a quarter five years ago,5 amounting to half a million litres of oat drink sold every day in the UK.2
Despite this boom, until now, only 1%1 of oat drink sold in the UK has been guaranteed to be from 100% British oats. As the leading plant-based brand, Alpro’s investment will significantly increase the percentage of British oats in the ever-growing oat drink market, while giving shoppers greater opportunity to buy locally sourced oat drinks.
Locally sourced from field to fridge, mostly from farmers within 80 miles of the “Navara” Oat Mill – also in Kettering – the changes in oat sourcing and production process will significantly cut food miles. And with oats traditionally used for porridge oats, cereals and flapjacks, the investment gives farmers new avenues for their crops. Some 58 million litres of the British Oat Drink are planned to be produced annually in Kettering, equating to a quarter of the site’s production of plant-based drinks.6
The oat drink is available now in an “original” and “no sugars” version. The new recipe is designed to be naturally low in saturated fat, whilst also being high in fibre and enriched with calcium, iodine and vitamins D2 and B2. It comes after research found that half of plant-based shoppers are driven by health.7
Jon Ruberry, Category Director, Plant-based, at Danone UK & Ireland, said: “We continue to see a big appetite amongst shoppers for healthy, plant-based products, especially for ‘flexitarian’ shoppers looking to add variety to their diets. It is also clear that oat-based drinks are increasingly popular with consumers, a trend that is here to stay. This expansion is a key part of our ambition to bring greater choice to supermarket shelves, providing a locally sourced product and a nutritious3 new recipe that we think shoppers will love.”
James Mayer, President, Danone UK & Ireland, said: “Health is at the heart of everything we do, and we work to offer healthier nutrition to consumers in the most sustainable way possible.
“As a pioneer and global leader in plant-based nutrition, plant based drinks are a key part of our strategy to boost growth by focusing on developing products that deliver on both health and taste. This significant UK investment in manufacturing from home grown oats is an exciting step forward and a great demonstration of how we’re innovating to deliver healthy and tasty food & drink sustainably.”
James Skidmore, Managing Director, Navara Oat Milling, said: “The rise in the use of plant-based food ingredients has certainly brought changes to the farming industry – however, this exciting new investment by Danone has opened up more opportunities for oat famers to broaden the products they produce and markets that they grow for. When businesses back British agriculture, famers have more options for their crops, leading to increased resilience and potential for growth.
“The investment will boost capacity and production at the Navara Mill, bringing substantial benefits to the local community both in Kettering, and further afield.”
Navara is owned by grain and agronomy business Frontier Agriculture, alongside farmer-owned co-operative Camgrain. Frontier works with its oat farmers to supply the mill, providing expert advice through its team of agronomists and a range of products and services which help them grow the crop sustainably.
