Oatly

About Oatly

Oatly is a Sweden-born food and beverage company focused on oat-based alternatives to dairy. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Malmö, it says it was built to make it easier for people to eat and drink better without placing unnecessary strain on the planet’s resources. Its products are designed for consumers who want plant-based options, people with lactose intolerance, and anyone looking for foods and drinks with a lower environmental footprint.

The company positions itself as both a product innovator and a climate-focused brand. Across its website and sustainability materials, Oatly emphasizes taste, nutrition, and functionality alongside environmental impact, presenting oat drinks and related foods as practical substitutes for milk and other dairy products in coffee, cooking, baking, and everyday eating.

Oatly also frames its business around the idea that food, climate, nature, and people are interconnected. That perspective shows up in its sustainability messaging, which links product development with regenerative agriculture, resource efficiency, and broader efforts to shift consumption toward plant-rich diets.

Core Values

• Taste first: Oatly repeatedly emphasizes that plant-based products should taste good and perform well in real-world use, especially in coffee, cooking, and baking. Its product language consistently links flavor with usability rather than treating sustainability as the only selling point.
• Health and nutrition: The company highlights the nutritional profile of oats and fortifies many drinks with vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iodine, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. It presents its products as part of a healthy, balanced diet rather than as niche substitutes.
• Sustainability: Oatly describes itself as a climate solutions company and ties its mission to lowering the environmental impact of food. Its sustainability work focuses on emissions reduction, water use, waste reduction, packaging, and regenerative agriculture.
• Innovation and science: The brand presents oat processing as a science-led capability, with ongoing research into oats, nutrition, and sustainability. It also stresses technical performance, such as foamability, stability, and texture, as part of product development.
• Interdependence and responsibility: Oatly’s sustainability plan frames climate, nature, people, and nutrition as connected. That broader view underpins its messaging on fairer food systems, farmer support, workplace safety, and transparent reporting.

Unique Aspects

• World’s original oat drink company: Oatly says it is the first oat drink company and the original and largest oat drink company, with roots in Sweden and a global presence. That heritage is central to how it differentiates itself in plant-based dairy.
• Climate Solutions Company recognition: Oatly says it became the first food and beverage company to qualify as a Climate Solutions Company under the Exponential Roadmap Initiative framework. This recognition is tied to its claim that a large share of revenue comes from products with materially lower climate impact than dairy.
• Broad dairy-alternative portfolio built on oats: The company says its oat expertise has enabled it to expand beyond drinks into ice cream, yogurt, cooking creams, spreads, and on-the-go beverages. That breadth is presented as a technical outcome of its oat-processing know-how.
• Regenerative agriculture programs: Oatly runs FARM, its Future Agriculture Renovation Movement, and says it works with farmers to transition oat supply toward regenerative practices. It also reports collaborations with multi-stakeholder initiatives and financial incentives for farmers.
• Major Landskrona investment: In 2026, Oatly announced a multi-year investment of about US$16 million in its Landskrona production facility in Sweden, with capacity expected to rise by more than 33%. The company said the site is a fully owned end-to-end production hub and a key part of its supply chain.
• Hybrid manufacturing and supply-chain restructuring: Known news indicates Oatly has used manufacturing partnerships and facility changes as part of an asset-light and profitability-focused strategy, including a hybrid manufacturing partnership with Ya Ya Foods and the closure of its Singapore facility.
• Global footprint: Oatly says its products are available in more than 50 countries, and some news sources place that figure at more than 60 countries. The company also serves retail and foodservice channels across Europe, North America, Greater China, and other international markets.