Oatly opens factory in the Netherlands to meet growing demand for dairy-free products
The Hague, September 2019 - The Dutch have traditionally been large consumers of dairy products. However, this seems to be changing now and plant-based alternatives are on the rise. The Swedish oat drink brand Oatly anticipates this and is now opening its first European factory outside of Sweden in Vlissingen. The plant will produce 120 million liters of oat drink base per year for consumption in the Netherlands and other European markets.
Second factory in Europe
Oatly opens its second European factory in the Netherlands to meet the fast-growing demand for oat drink products. The popularity of dairy alternatives has increased enormously and continues to grow. With the factory in Vlissingen, production is brought closer to important markets and Oatly consciously opts for a more sustainable production chain and a reduction in transport emissions.
Fredrik Gustavsson, Operations Director of Oatly EMEA, explains the strategic choice: “We have seen the demand for our products and plant-based alternatives grow in the Netherlands and the surrounding regions. Vlissingen is the perfect location for our production if we want to meet this growing demand in a sustainable way. ”
Facilitate the transition to a vegetable diet
Oatly's growth in central European markets does not stop with the opening of the factory in the Netherlands, there are plans to also house the Central European logistics fulfillment in the Netherlands. The packaging of the products is outsourced to a local co-packaging partner that operates directly next to the Oatly factory. The new production facility in Vlissingen will also generate excess capacity, which offers opportunities to develop and introduce new innovations in addition to existing products. In this way Oatly simplifies the transition from dairy to a more vegetable-based diet for Dutch and European consumers.
The Oatly way: CO2e data on the packages
Oatly believes that consumers need to be better informed about the climate impact of food in order to make better choices about food and drink. That is why Oatly labels the packaging of all products with concrete figures that show the climate impact of the product: the emissions from the field to the store. The impact is expressed in CO2 equivalents (CO2e), the calculation unit for comparing the contribution of greenhouse gases to the greenhouse effect. The company calls on food producers worldwide to do the same so that consumers can easily compare the impact of products.