NZ all set to get its first ever plant-based Oat Milk Facility

Summary

• Construction of the first plant-based milk facility announced in Southland to help cutting down the cost of exporting processed oat milk from Sweden.
• The dearth of oat milk supply in NZ due to logistics issues caused by the coronavirus last year prompted the launch of Southland milk facility.
• Reducing the nation’s dependency on dairy sector is another reason for embracing new plant-based oat milk.

The first plant-based milk manufacturing factory is all set to be established in Southland, according to recent reports. Before this, oats from the country were sent to various parts of the world for being processed and then sent back to the clients.

Also, oats cultivated in Gore, Southland were exported to Sweden, which was then converted into the form of milk. With the new plant in place, the incurred costs of this process would be done away with.

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The above has been an outcome of the all-day meeting on Wednesday (13 January) held at Great South, which is a regional development organisation situated in Southland.  Ian Collier, the CEO of the Company in his statement said the development of the new entity NZ Functional Foods Limited is part of an extensive 10-year plan to make maximum use of the land in Southland.

Dearth of Oat Milk in NZ

The apparent oat milk shortage has occurred in the country simply because there is not enough supply of the same along with the logistics issues caused by the coronavirus last year. The global pandemic resulted in all sorts of delays and shipping issues.

One of the most popular milk alternatives sworn by popular coffee shops across the world, Oat Milk is gradually on its way to become the new regular milk in the time to come.

Oat milk consumes around one sixth of the amount of water and resources to be produced when compared to Almond milk, which seems to be losing its luster of late.

Bringing in new trends at the risk of falling off the bandwagon

If the country is to keep up with the latest food trends in the world, a few sacrifices must be made. Tim Ryan the co-founder at Otis Milk explained how currently they send oats that are grown in Gore to Dunedin for milling and then further to Sweden to be converted into milk. 

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Oat Milk, the better one?

Reducing the nation’s dependency on dairy sector is another reason for embracing new plant-based oat milk. The beta-glucan present in oat milk promotes good heart health.

Oat Milk is also one of the best options for people with issues like lactose intolerance. The sustainability angle of oat milk is also much higher than that of cow’s milk and therefore, New Zealand wants to make a conscious shift towards the other option despite the number of cows present in the country.