“Everyone said it wasn’t possible to make oat milk in New Zealand,” says Morgan Maw, founder of Boring.
Now the only oat milk to be made in New Zealand commercially has bumped its global competition for top market share at the supermarkets.
Maw says it was assumed there wasn’t theappropriate manufacturing plant in the country.
“Figuring out how to turn oats into a liquid oat base that we could use to make oat milk was a pretty big challenge,” Maw told the Herald.
“Turns out it’s not impossible, but it’s certainly not that easy to make oat milk in this country and Boring is a delicious but technically and logistically complex product to make,” she added.
“Even now, every other oat milk on our shelves is made in Europe or the UK and then shipped back here.”
Maw, who launched Boring in August 2021, was able to partner with their manufacturer The Apple Press, a Hawke’s Bay juice company, something she recalls as an amazing find.
“They had the unique technology, manufacturing equipment and expertise required to make oat milk,” she said.
Boring sold 2.2 million bottles of its oat milk in New Zealand last year. Photo / Supplied
Plant-based products have been gaining more exposure as environmentally conscious consumers look for alternatives.
Globally the plant-based beverage market was valued at US$15.3 billion (NZ$24.4b) in 2019 and is expected to grow to in excess of US$34.8b by 2026, according to a Fairfield Market Research report.
Oat milk had a reported market valuation of around US$1.5b in 2021, which could expand to US$2.6b by the end of 2026.
“Plant-based eating in general is part of a societal shift, largely driven by younger generations and their valid concern for the future state of our planet,” Maw said.
“They’re the ones who will outlive us all so they are rightly making more considered choices when it comes to what they wear, what they eat and what they drink.”
Maw said people turn to alternative milks for many reasons, including health (intolerances or allergies), nutritional, animal welfare concerns and taste.
She said plant milks’ environmental credentials are one of the biggest benefits when compared to dairy milk.
“Oat milk in particular uses seven times less water than almond milk, 13 times less than dairy and uses just a small portion of the greenhouse gas emissions of dairy,” she said.
But studies - including a Massey University one earlier this year - have found plant-based milk alternatives are largely not nutritional replacements for milk, often lacking in calcium and protein.
Boring’s oat milk is fortified with vitamin B12, B2 and calcium.
Soon it could be fortified with protein.
“We don’t yet fortify with protein as we’re not happy with the current plant-based proteins on the market in terms of their taste and bioavailability,” Maw said.
But she said exciting work was under way in New Zealand creating plant-based proteins from green leafy vegetables and spent grain from the oat milk production process.
So eventually, there should be a chance to fortify Boring with plant-based protein too.
Maw said Boring has some exciting new product development in the works for this year, but was tight-lipped.
“We have big plans for export in 2023 and are currently exploring new markets.
“Our next challenge is going to be making enough Boring Oat Milk to enable us to ramp up our export plans.”
