Oat drinks from the Münsterland region: encouragement for farmers
DBU supports start-up Ährenbrüder from Telgte
The market for milk alternatives in Germany continues to grow. According to the statistics portal Statista, per capita sales of substitute products made from oats, almonds and soy have risen considerably in Germany: from 1.66 kilograms in 2018 to 4.94 kilograms in 2024. The drawback: farmers in Germany hardly benefit from this, as many raw materials or even the entire end product are imported. The start-up Ährenbrüder from Telgte wants to change this - with its own organically produced oat drinks and a network of farmers throughout Germany. The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) is supporting the idea and the start-up with 125,000 euros.
Start-up: The three Ährenbrüder founders Henning, Stefan and Lucas Fockenbrock (from left) are siblings and can look back on a centuries-old family tradition with their farm in Telgte. With their start-up, they now produce oat drinks - regionally and in organic quality.
© Ährenbrüder GmbH
Three brothers combine new business idea with centuries-old tradition
"Agriculture is facing a fundamental transformation," says DBU Secretary General Alexander Bonde. The sector must be prepared for the consequences of climate change. Bonde continued: "We need innovative solutions and role models - in order to advance resource-conserving, ecologically compatible agriculture and secure the livelihoods of farmers." One approach is offered by the start-up Ährenbrüder - actually a company founded by siblings: Lucas, Stefan and Henning Fockenbrock combine their new business idea with centuries-old tradition. The family business in Telgte is now in its 19th generation and has existed since 1337. The startup is now a new chapter in the farm's history. Lucas Fockenbrock: "We want to offer alternatives to the dominance of imported milk substitute products in Germany - and thus open up additional markets for local farmers." According to Fockenbrock, the start-up has therefore spent several years developing various organic oat drinks itself using its own financial resources. The start-up founder continues: "We grow the oats for this on around ten hectares of our own fields." In addition to the oats, the only ingredients are water, oil and salt. Additives are deliberately avoided. Their success proves them right: according to the founders, their products are already stocked by many retailers in the Münsterland region and beyond. "We offer local and organic products for people from the region - this allows us to save both costs and emissions caused by importing and transporting the milk alternatives," say the Fockenbrock brothers.
Start-up is looking to establish a Germany-wide producer network
With their regional approach, the three brothers see promising opportunities for farms across Germany to benefit much more than before from the trend towards alternative dairy products. Market participation is still rather modest: According to Statista, Germany imported around 245,441 tons of plant-based drinks in 2024. The export volume in the same period was only 118,103 tons. In order to produce regional milk alternatives beyond the Münsterland region, the Fockenbrocks are considering setting up a Germany-wide producer network for the Ährenbrüder brand. Lucas Fockenbrock: "The prerequisites for this are the establishment of the location in Münsterland, further market penetration in North Rhine-Westphalia and an expansion of the product range." Fockenbrock continues: "Together with many like-minded farmers, as many production steps as possible can be relocated to the regions of origin of the raw materials. In this way, we minimize transport costs and emissions and promote local agriculture." New products are also being developed and implemented - for example a particularly high-protein oat milk. Sustainable popcorn with corn from the family's own farm is already available.
Increased oat cultivation enables more diverse crop rotations
Dr. Susanne Wiese-Willmaring, the responsible DBU officer, sees an additional effect: "Oats are a rarely cultivated crop in Germany these days. In arable farming, however, oat cultivation enriches the crop rotation - i.e. the variety of crops grown from season to season." According to Wiese-Willmaring, diverse crop rotations have positive effects on soil health and fertility. They can reduce the need for plant protection measures and benefit biodiversity in the region. The speaker was also impressed by the overall concept: "We need farmers who set a good example and show that nature-friendly farming is one of the key factors for an economically successful future for farms. Start-ups like Ährenbrüder are real encouragement for the sector." The three founders have a good background in agricultural science, dairy and business management as well as marketing. "And they know the structures of the retail trade through their family business with self-marketing, so they know what challenges they will face there. This can be crucial for the success of the start-up," says Wiese-Willmaring.
About the Green Startup Funding
With its Green Startup funding, the DBU supports young founders who develop innovative and economically viable solutions for the environment, ecology and sustainability.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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