Did you know it\’s now possible to get refillable, glass bottled, non dairy, Oato oat milk that\’s completely plastic free and delivered straight to your doorstep? Store bought oat milk tends to come in plastic Tetra Paks. If you\’re aiming to be more plastic free, then this rules out purchasing plastic packaging.
As a lover of both non dairy and plastic free milk, this has led to creating my own oat milk. The process is very quick and easy but when you\’re in a rush this can be a bit of a messy faff. Thankfully, Oato is the solution and through Milk & More, there\’s now a way to enjoy Oato oat milk door delivery. This is convenient, delicious and part of the local, circular economy.
To find out more about Oato oat milk, Aim interviewed Carl Hopwood, the founder and brains behind bringing waste free oat milk to the United Kingdom.
Hello Carl, we went to uni together in Edinburgh way back – what have you done since, and how did you end up creating Oato oat milk?
We did! I studied chemistry and business but never liked the idea of being stuck in a lab for a career. So after uni, I went more into the business world and worked for an American software company. Our office switched totally to oat milk in 2018/19 and everyone loved it, but we had piles of Tetra Paks sat outside our office because the council did not recycle them.
We also only brought cartoned, oat milk online or from supermarkets, so none of the local economy was benefitting from this sustainable switch. I thought there must be a better way, so after a few (a lot) of kitchen trials, I defined a recipe for Oato and set about bottling it into glass that could be delivered by the traditional British milk round. A zero waste British alternative.
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Let\’s start with the most pressing complaint towards dairy free milk – does Oato separate in tea and coffee?
No, we\’ve designed Oato for tea and coffee. Plant milks separate when they are too acidic. We add an acidity regulator to make sure it doesn\’t split. However, if it\’s past its use-by date, then it might split in tea or coffee.
Are these magic ingredients vegan friendly, can you share them with us?
Oato is vegan friendly. It is bottled at a site that also handles milk but once sterilised on a separate day.
We try and source everything from the UK that we can. We\’ve just updated the ingredients to include vitamins B12, B2, D3, Iodine and Calcium. Oato\’s ingredients are: water, oats, rapeseed oil, calcium carbonate, dipotassium phosphate (acidity regulator), salt and vitamins (D3, B2, B12, and potassium iodide). The ingredients are on our website.
What\’s the shelf life of Oato oat milk?
Each bottle has an embossed use by date in the cap. It should be delivered with a minimum of 3 days life on it, hopefully, longer. Most milk rounds deliver multiple times per week, and we recommend spreading your orders across these delivery days.
Do you use any plastic packaging or containers?
We only bottle into glass. Also, the bottles come in a clear glass with Milk & More because they have automatic scanners that detect if bottles are dirty and printed bottles are detected as dirty, so the bottles are unbranded.
What should we do with our empty bottles, and what do you do with them when you collect them?
Wash them out with hot water or put them in the dishwasher, then pop them on your doorstep the night before your milk is going to be delivered.
They get collected by the milkman round, sterilised and filled back up with either milk or juices.
How can people get their hands on Oato?
You can sign up through Milk & More or McQueens Dairies in Scotland. If you can\’t find a delivery to you, then check out our website or send us a DM on social media.
We hope you enjoy Oato, please send us your feedback or write any further questions in the comment section below.
If you fancy trying Milk & More too, I have a referral offer with code: RG5J1K which gives £5 off!
- We both get £5 to spend!
- Milk in reusable glass bottles.
- Delivered to your door before 7 am.
- No pointless plastic. 5. Regular free doorstep deliveries.
To sign up add £10 worth of products to your basket and use code RG5J1K and get £5 off.
