'Our journey has been fantastic': Preston oat milk firm Oato celebrates landmark year
"Our journey over the last few years has been fantastic” says a growing oat milk brand from Preston.
An oak milk brand founded and based in Preston is celebrating a landmark year.
Lancashire firm Oato has across the past 12 months seen double-digit growth and the sale of over 30 million pints of Oato, its a plant-based dairy alternative.
Oato was founded in 2019 by Lancashire man Carl Hopwood, who studied chemistry at Edinburgh University and was inspired to develop a fresh barista-grade oat-based dairy alternative to challenge the existing long-life and UHT products on the market.
A cornerstone of Oato’s success has been its revival of the traditional milk round.
It has created a fresh oat-based product delivered in reusable glass bottles via a nationwide network of milkmen, helping the brand to distribute more than 30 million pints since its inception.
Oato’s growth journey began in 2021 when it secured funding from the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF), through FW Capital.
This was used to assist the development of its bottling plant in Preston.
Today, Oato has repaid the loan in full and achieved double digit growth on the back of winning major contracts with UK supermarkets including Sainsburys, Tesco, Ocado and Waitrose as well as nationwide network of independent milkmen and a regional presence with local retailer Booths.
Carl Hopwood, founder of Oato, said: "Our journey over the last few years has been fantastic. We set out to create a product that didn't compromise on quality, freshness or the environment.
"Seeing Oato move from local doorsteps to the shelves of leading supermarkets is a testament to the quality of our product and the loyalty of our customers. We’ve created a product that does not compromise on taste or quality offering a creamy, fresh and tasty dairy-free alternative.
"FW Capital backed us at the start, and their investment allowed us to set up our own bottling plant in Preston. Today our products are available in 1,000s of national supermarket stores, with 30+ million pints of Oato sold."
Alistair Igo, portfolio executive at FW Capital, said: "Success stories like Oato are a great example of the innovation and ambition we have across the North West. Having access to the right funding at the right time can make all the difference and I continue to be impressed by Oato’s growth trajectory."