Oatly Announces Plans for the World’s Largest Oat Milk Factory

Already in 2021, Oatly has made headlines with its unforgettable Super Bowl commercial and a rumored $10 billion Initial Public Offering (IPO), and the oat milk giant's burgeoning popularity seems to have no bounds. Oatly has just announced plans for the world's largest oat milk factory, in which the brand expects to produce 300 million liters of oat milk annually. Oatly hopes that the factory will eventually increase its production to 450 million liters of dairy-free milk annually. The factory will also create at least 200 jobs, constructing one of the largest plant-based dairy factories in the world, and the largest oat milk factory on the planet.

The Swedish company plans to open the factory in the United Kingdom by 2023, breaking ground in Peterborough, England. Oatly claims that the oats will be sourced from surrounding farms to help the local market, fueling the domestic economy rather than outsourcing its raw material. Initially aiming for 300 million liters annually, Oatly’s exploding popularity shows limitless room for growth.

“Questions about a potential UK factory have been circulating for a while, and we’re really excited to finally announce the news of its arrival in 2023,” said General Manager of Oatly UK Ishen Paran said. “The UK is a really important driver of the global plant-based movement, with the growing demand for Oatly across the country, and we’re excited to supply this increased demand.”

Oatly has made its mission to encourage people internationally to shift towards a more plant-based, sustainable option for their coffee, cereal, and ice cream. The company's star-studded roster of celebrity investors includes Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, and Natalie Portman. Beyond producing a popular dairy alternative, Oatly claims that this new factory will help push a “systemic shift in society and food system towards plant-based.”

Oatly Looks to Use Sustainable Practices in New Factory

The company hopes that this production facility will emulate the business’ core values of sustainability: Powered completely by renewable energy, the factory intends to reduce its energy and water consumption while also minimizing waste by 75 percent by 2029. “We look forward to supplying the UK with more oat drink. We’re even more excited to do it in a sustainable way,” said Chief Supply Chain Officer Johan Rabe said. “Like everything we do at Oatly, we’ve ensured that sustainability is core to our factory planning. Everything, from the sourcing of our oats, to the production of our product range specifically designed for humans, has sustainability at the heart of it.”

Oatly’s factory announcement comes ahead of the company’s premiere into the stock market. The Swedish Brand is allegedly ramping up for an initial public offering (IPO) that could raise a speculated $10 billion dollars, surpassing any plant-based company on the market. With Oatly's increased production and mushrooming popularity, consumers can be sure that the company will continue to make big moves in the plant-based market.