Fresh oat milk in just a few steps: fresh and on-demand production on site
DBU supports start-up OIY Solutions with 125,000 euros
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The market for milk substitute products is growing steadily in Germany. According to Statista figures, sales more than doubled from around 390 to 860 million euros between 2020 and 2024 alone - and the trend is rising. oat drinks are the most popular. However, these are often imported from abroad, undergo energy-intensive preservation and are filled in disposable packaging. Cologne-based start-up OIY Solutions GmbH is tackling these issues with its product The Oater and making milk alternatives made from oats more sustainable. The team has developed a machine that produces fresh oat drinks from the basic ingredients directly in cafés and restaurants. The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) is supporting the company with 125,000 euros.
Fresh oat milk in restaurants and offices
According to the data portal Statista from 2025, oat drinks are by far the most popular of the numerous varieties of milk substitutes. DBU Secretary-General Alexander Bonde: "The growing popularity of these products also raises questions about the sustainability of production processes and logistics." There is great potential for sustainable business here, because "a lot can be achieved with innovative ideas and their resource-saving implementation," says Bonde. The start-up OIY Solution is developing a wide-ranging approach to sustainability in the industry with its product "The Oater". According to co-founder Henrik Burger, the start-up has developed a machine that produces barista-quality oat milk locally and on demand. "The Oater is mainly used directly in the catering industry or in offices and canteens," says Burger.
Avoiding unnecessary transportation and reducing climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions
According to Burger, oat milk production on site using the Oater avoids transportation for the import of oats or even the entire milk substitute product - and thus saves considerable emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2). "This is because oat drink, which is usually an industrially produced milk substitute, consists of 90 percent water. The rest is oats, which we don't even need to import because they are already available in top quality in Germany," says Burger. Another plus point, according to him, is that the start-up supplies organic oats and rapeseed oil that are as regional as possible, both of which are then processed into oat drinks using tap water from the machine.
Fresh and on-demand production on site
According to Burger, on-site production also solves another challenge: "Commercially available oat drinks are often filled in disposable packaging such as Tetra Paks. The alternatives produced with the Oater do not need to be packaged." This significantly reduces the amount of waste. According to Burger, there is another advantage: "As the restaurants, cafés and offices produce fresh and on-demand for themselves, we don't need energy-intensive preservation processes such as pasteurization." This saves electricity and reduces costs. Burger: "According to the experience of our customers such as Bayer or Techniker Krankenkasse, the production of oat drinks with the Oater saves an average of 0.30 euros per liter compared to conventional oat drinks." This is "absolutely competitive on the market for milk alternatives." As the farms are best able to estimate their own requirements, as little of the drinks produced as possible ends up in the bin.
Sustainable oat drinks are just the first step
According to Burger, the Oater can be purchased or leased. The company also offers ingredients and service. Burger: "Other vegan products can also become more sustainable by producing them directly at the customer's and end consumer's premises as required." After all, saving transport costs and volumes, reducing waste and promoting the regionality of raw materials has potential in many other areas of the food industry.
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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