CONSIDERED a staple in many diets of the modern world – with the booming of cafe culture and artisanal brewing – milk is a popular choice for many, as it is consumed as a beverage added in smoothies, coffee, tea, or by itself. It is an important part of our favourite cereals and in the recipes of our comfort food.
But as time and nutritional preferences expand, more people are looking at alternatives because of allergies or intolerances.
The demand among those seeking non-dairy substitutes has grown beyond just maintaining dietary restrictions, but as a way of conscious living as well (reducing waste products and gas emissions).
Joining the list of plant-based purveyors to support such a lifestyle is Oatside, one of the first ‘full-stack’ oat milk brands to originate from this part of the world.
What is meant by the ‘full-stack’ experience is that the business prides itself on its in-house manufacturing capabilities.
“It took us about one and a half years to develop Oatside, from setting up the factory in Bandung (Indonesia) to the launch of the products here today,” shared Singaporean founder Benedict Lim, during the Malaysian launch and milk tasting experience at KLoé Hotel, Bukit Bintang.
The chief executive officer expressed that there were a lot of commitments put in place to ensure the barrier for more people to adopt non-dairy milk is addressed.
“We know that taste is often a challenge for people to make that jump, so our goal was to develop oat milk that could overcome these perceptions.
“It was a challenge developing the right product with existing setups at contract manufacturers in the early days, so we took the longer approach of building out our own production line that allowed us more customisation and control over the oat extraction process,” he said.
Oatside only started its business initiative in mid-2020 during the pandemic, but is now backed by a functioning operational team.
“We had to raise money from investors, namely Proterra Investment Partners (a US-based private equity firm focused on natural resource investing). They are very experienced with food businesses starting from scratch so we had some support from there,” he added.
Why oat milk?
“Simply because oat milk is more sustainable (to produce) and actually tastes good. It has similar properties like dairy when considering the body/texture,” highlighted Lim.
Oatside also promises zero artificial flavours, gums, emulsifiers, preservatives and colouring, which the milks are without, aside from having only the highest-quality ingredients.
“Our oat milk is very versatile where you can either have it alone or with other food/drink items to snack (including bubble tea).
“During the trials, we made sure to work closely with baristas to be able to match the oat milk with the differing roast levels.
“This is because coffee is not just coffee, we wanted to make sure that Oatside oat milk is able to complement the flavour profiles of different beans,” shared the founder, who was formerly the chief financial officer at Kraft Heinz Indonesia.
“Having to conduct the R&D during the pandemic fits well because you have so much time to think about designing the product and allowed the team to be more creative,” he added.
Price point wise, Lim noted that Oatside costs substantially lower than most plant-based milk.
“It is not at the level of dairy milk yet, but we are confident that with volume and efficiency (in production and sales), we can drive the price closer to conventional milk.”
“In Malaysia, we want Oatside to be across the country (in cafes and supermarkets) because to make a meaningful impact, we understand that there needs to be a dent made towards the dairy market,” he said.
A friendlier consumption
Setting the DNA of the brand right from the start, Oatside established a mutually beneficial engagement with the local community where its factory is located by providing clean water to the surrounding villages from the pipes they used to source natural spring water to the plant.
“It’s not an official responsibility that we impose among locals when it comes to keeping watch of the pipes or water source but I think there is more awareness and keeping community support alive,” shared Lim.
He does note that Oatside does plan to look at more engagements that would benefit the communities that support the business either directly or indirectly with job opportunities and creative solutions.
“One thing we are working on now is looking at ways to upcycle the use of the pulp, which is high in protein, left after making the oat milk.
“At the moment we use this for animal feed but in the future when we have more capital, we hope to process this and turn it for human consumption.
“It’s all about just trying to be less wasteful and I think from there, we can do a lot more for the community." – The Vibes, February 19, 2022
