British oat producer, Glebe Farm, has launched an extended range of oat drinks into Morrisons stores nationwide.
The family-owned operation is a pioneer of gluten free oats and home to Britain’s first and only production plant for making oat drink from scratch in the UK.
In 2021, the business was faced with a court case from sector giant Oatly, which made claims of brand and trademark infringement. These allegations were comprehensively rejected by the judge, leading to a victory for Glebe Farm’s brother and sister duo Phil and Rebecca Rayner.
This leaves Glebe free to press its home advantage in the oat drink market. More than a quarter of the UK population now consume plant-based milk – and a recent study commissioned by Glebe Farm found that 92% of Brits would prefer to buy dairy-free milk made from UK ingredients, with two thirds saying that is because they want to support British farmers. The family hopes that its UK-based facility on its farm in Cambridgeshire will allow the business to bring high quality, plant-based milks using British core ingredients to the UK market – thereby offering a lower carbon footprint than its European rivals can achieve.
Made from the British oats, Glebe's plant-based milks are both vegan and gluten free. They can be steamed for hot drinks, added to a smoothie, poured over cereal, or used in baking and cooking. The company's PureOaty Barista has already been recognised with a Great Taste Award.
“We couldn't be more excited to bring our British barista grade oat drinks to our customers,” said co-founder Rebecca Rayner. “Plant-based milk is more popular than ever, driven by changing consumer tastes, and considerations around health and sustainability. A lot of people are increasingly looking to eat British foods and our oat milks tick all the boxes – especially with their best-in-class carbon footprint.”
Not only are all of Glebe's oats grown locally, but all of the production for the oat drink is handled on site, with solar panels and biomass generators producing power for the production facility. The company also engages in environmental stewardship practices on the farm and supports local community projects – including donating over 10,000 cartons of oat drink to local NHS hospitals and food banks.
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