NEWS
FOODSTUFFS
JOINS THE
CLIMATE
LEADERS
COALITION
Company to join other
businesses on the mission
to achieve the country’s
Zero Carbon ambitions
36 FEBRUARY 2020
KIWI OAT MILK
PRODUCER TAKES
KIWI OATS TO THE WORLD
New Zealand’s first homegrown
oat milk producer Otis Oat
Milk has announced ambitious
expansion plans in response to
surging demand for its homegrown
oat milk.
Launched last year, Otis is
currently sold in 150 cafes
throughout New Zealand. This year
it plans to treble the number of
New Zealand cafes, initiate sales in
Australia and, have Otis available
on supermarket shelves.
Managing director Tim Ryan said
the company’s expansion plans
were in response to growing
demand for its oat milk, uniquely
sourced from New Zealand.
Dubbed the ‘wonder oat’, New
Zealand-grown oats have the
highest concentration of beta
glucan, a natural fibre, that helps
lower cholesterol, improves blood
sugar control, and boosts the
immune system.
“It’s a very exciting time for Otis
and indeed New Zealand’s plantbased
food sector,” Ryan says.
“Demand has exceeded our
expectations so we’re going to
expand our productive capacity
and distribution to make oat milk
more accessible to Kiwis and then
take it to the world.
“Later this year we’re planning
to launch the country’s first
processing facility for plant-based
dairy alternatives in Dunedin.
That’ll grow our productive
capacity to 25 million litres per
year, allowing us to expand
to overseas markets. We see
significant growth potential in
the Asian markets, especially
given the prevalence of lactose
intolerance in those regions.
“The feedback we’ve been
getting from our wholesale café
networks, and the general public,
has been really positive. We’re
getting calls every day from
Kiwis wanting to know when
they can start buying Otis in
supermarkets. We’ll have some
good news for them on that front
in the coming months!”
The global non-dairy milk market
is expected to reach revenues of
more than US$38 billion by 2024,
as consumers continue to make
Foodstuffs New Zealand has joined
the Climate Leaders Coalition,
formally linking its sustainability
ambitions to the Coalition’s mission
to tackle climate change and
help New Zealand transition to a
low emissions economy through
collective action.
On behalf of Foodstuffs NZ,
managing director Steve Anderson
signed the Coalition’s Climate
Change statement which commits the
organisation to take voluntary action
towards a low emissions future.
Mr Anderson says that as one of New
Zealand’s largest enterprises it is
entirely appropriate that Foodstuffs
join other businesses in helping New
Zealand transition to a low emissions
economy, and in doing so, create a
positive future for New Zealanders
and business.
“We view this as a unique opportunity
for businesses to work together and
learn from each other to reduce their
emissions.
“Foodstuffs is committed to be a
positive force for New Zealand, and
we see this initiative as another way
of enabling us to contribute to a
healthier and happier world.
“We have been working to reduce
our emissions for many years, but
I’m certain that as part of the Climate
Leaders Coalition there will be more
that we can learn and implement.
There is also the tangible benefit of
working together with like-minded
businesses to reach a common
goal of achieving the country’s Zero
Carbon ambitions.
“We are confident that this initiative
will resonate strongly with the
aspirations of our suppliers,
customers and the communities of
which our stores are part. Surveys
show 95% of New Zealanders say
they are leading a more sustainable
lifestyle, and as a retailer our role is to
help them do this.”