Food Ingredients First speaks to Christiaan van Doornik, general manager of Benelux at Oatly, about why the company chose to launch the pop-up and the latest insights using oat as a dairy solution. 

According to Oatly, plant-based milk sales have increased by 20% across Europe. The Good Food Institute Europe reported sales of plant-based foods were rising in 2022, amounting to €5.7 billion (US$6.28 billion), with plant-based milks leading the category. 

“With Oatly Soft Serve, we are setting new standards in the plant-based ice cream segment by delivering the delicious taste and creamy texture you’d expect in a soft serve, but now without a dro of cow’s milk. The pop-up shop allows us to put our Soft Serve to the test to drive trial in an area with high foot traffic and word of mouth,” says van Doornik. 

Oatly partnered with other brands to offer a variety of toppings at its pop-up store.Unlocking oat potential
Oatly has a research and innovation team dedicated to unlocking the “full potential” of oats. 

“We have spent several years perfecting this recipe and ensuring it exceeds expectations for taste and texture,” explains van Doornik. 

“As a business, we are passionate about making it as easy as possible for people not to default to dairy, which means investing heavily in innovation and product development. As a result, we believe we’ve created a soft serve ice cream that makes it easy to give up dairy.”

Oatly wants to streamline the switch from dairy to plant-based. “That means designing products that require zero compromises on taste, performance or nutrition.”

“This year, we’ve expanded our oat drink portfolio by launching several exciting innovations in the Netherlands, including Oatly Semi, Oatly Whole and Oatly ‘No’ Sugars to offer consumers a full range of oat drink varieties and formats that work just as great in your morning coffee as they do in your favorite food recipes.”

European launches 
Oatly Semi has been adjusted for coffee and tea to avoid separation and for increased cooking or baking performance. This was made possible by the acidity regulator, dipotassium phosphate.

Oatly Whole is the company’s creamiest oat drink without saturated fats, which works like full-fat cow’s milk. The acidity regulator is also present in this formulation. Passerbys check out Oatly’s small-sized pop-up in Amsterdam.

Oatly “No” Sugars is the “most asked for by fitness influencers.” The product is not made with the same production process used for the other products, which involves breaking down the starch into natural sugar. Instead, the consumer’s body breaks down the carbohydrates into sugar with the “No” Sugars option.

Boosted health
The Sweden-based company reports that oat has become the dairy alternative for consumers and baristas worldwide due to its versatility, consistency and performance in F&B.

“At Oatly, we want to facilitate a shift to more sustainable food consumption that contains substantially less animal-based products and more plant-based food. Oats are great for several reasons,” asserts van Doornik.

Oatly says oats are a low-input crop, meaning fewer resources are used. Oats grow in many places, meaning it has a global footprint with many uses. Oats grow in early spring through summer or late fall over winter, allowing for good crop rotation, improving soil health, biodiversity and stable farm income.

“We believe there continues to be a major growth opportunity for oats and the plant-based dairy category. There is an estimated US$631 billion total addressable global dairy retail market opportunity, and plant-based currently only represents an estimated 4% market penetration.”

Oatly celebrates its soft serve ice cream solution’s launch in Europe by opening a pop-up location.Amsterdammers’ response
At the Amsterdam location, Oatly set out to create a product that is “as easy as possible” for operators to use and remove the barriers for outlets of all shapes and sizes to offer a dairy alternative.

“It’s why we have an ambient 1 L product that can simply be poured into the soft serve machine,” says van Doornik.

“Our first-of-its-kind pop-up shop was designed to be a fun, delicious and exclusive experience for Amsterdamers. As it was Oatly’s first time setting up a pop-up, we worked with a local partner that helped with the setup and operations.”

Oatly views its customer base as “everyone.” Van Doornik says the new ice cream targets people who are vegan, vegetarian, lactose intolerant or looking for a more climate-conscious product.

“Our soft serve offering continues our core mission: To make it easy for people to eat better and live healthier lives without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources.”

Van Doornik adds that Oatly is getting positive feedback from consumers on the soft serve. He concludes that the company has had several exciting local collaborations and topping offerings this summer, with more to come.