FAQs

As our company and product are relatively new we’re sure you’ve got lots of questions.  We’re hopeful we can answer them here through our FAQs. Please take a look.

If the FAQs don’t cover a question you have then please feel free to reach out to us using the link below, and we’ll do our best to get back to you.

IS OATO BARISTA FRIENDLY?

Sure is. We specifically crafted Oato so that it would make amazing foam/froth for latte, cappuccino or other hot drinks.  Use Oato in a coffee machine or with a barista wand and we’re confident you’ll be blown away.

WHERE CAN I FIND OATO?

Oato is mostly available through milk rounds as it fits our philosophy of supporting local businesses and they already operate a glass return scheme. Click through to our Where to buy page to find a local milk round.

CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT OATO'S BOTTLING AND PACKAGING PROCESS, INCLUDING THE TYPES OF BOTTLES YOU USE?

We are committed to sustainability and efficiency in our packaging process by using reusable glass pint bottles. These bottles come as either clear glass and those pre-printed with our branding or other dairies' names and logos.

Regardless of their original branding, we embrace all pint bottles for washing, sterilising, and refilling. This practice not only promotes the reuse of resources across the dairy industry but also aligns with our environmental values.In our in-house facility, every bottle - clear or printed - undergoes a thorough cleaning and sterilisation process before being refilled with Oato oat milk. This ensures that regardless of the bottle's previous branding, it meets our high standards of quality and safety for reuse.

Our products are easily recognisable by the distinct green and gold striped foil cap, an Oato trademark. This cap not only signifies the authenticity of the product inside but also assures you that the bottle has been meticulously prepared by us for reuse.

Whether the bottle is clear or bears another dairy's logo, if it has our green and gold cap, it's filled with Oato oat milk, washed, and sterilised according to our strict protocols.

WHAT ABOUT OATO SEMI-SKIMMED?

If you find Oato a little too creamy but can't yet get hold of the semi-skimmed version then we’d recommend adding a small amount of water to dilute the product slightly.

HOW SHOULD I STORE OATO?

Oato is a fresh product and needs to be kept in a cold fridge, so once it’s arrived on your doorstep pop it straight in the fridge.

The use by date of each bottle is stamped on the foil cap. We recommend using within 3 days of opening and Oato should be delivered to your doorstep with a minimum of 3 days life. It’s possible to freeze Oato but we’d not recommend doing it in the glass bottle.

WHY IS THE BOTTLE I RECEIVED NOT BRANDED?

The bottles are often unbranded because some suppliers need clear bottles for their sorting system. We have to go along with the distributors requirements so that the glass is fully reused.

We love our branded bottles. However, due to the pattern when scanned, they can confuse the system that they are "dirty bottles", even when they are lovely and clean. Luckily the bottles don't affect the taste, so either way, you can enjoy the fresh flavour!

IS OATO GLUTEN FREE?

We do not use gluten free oats and therefore it cannot be guaranteed to be gluten free.  Gluten is found in oats due to contamination with other grains such as wheat, barley, rye, etc. during production, harvest and processing. The oats we source cannot be certified as gluten free and therefore may contain very small amounts of these grains.

DO YOU ADD SUGAR/SWEETENER?

No. The sweetness is created during our production process.  When we create our oat drink the oat starch is broken down into shorter chain sugars using natural enzymes. This same process happens in our bodies when we eat oats, which means we’re ingesting the same amount of sugar whether consuming raw oats, oatmeal or our oat drink.

WHY RAPESEED OIL?

Rapeseed oil helps Oato be amazing in coffee and gives it that delicious creamy taste.  The rapeseed oil we source is from the UK and other oils (sunflower, grape, etc) are not grown in abundance here.  We’re happy that Oato supports British farmers.

DO YOU ADD VITAMINS / FORTIFY OATO?

Oato is now fortified with the additional vitamins – Calcium, B12, B2, D3 (vegan sourced) and Iodine.

DO BOTTLES GET RETURNED?

YES. We need our bottles back, not only as it’s environmentally friendly but also because we refill them and the glass is only affordable if it’s reused at least 20 times.  Please put any empty bottles back out on the doorstep and the milk round will collect to be refilled – it’s that simple.

WILL OTHER PRODUCTS / VARIATIONS BE AVAILABLE?

Most certainly. We’re looking into an organic & gluten free version of Oato as well as other products with an oat base.

WHERE DO YOU SOURCE YOUR INGREDIENTS?

We source our water, oats, rapeseed oil and salt from the UK. The UK produces these ingredients in abundance and therefore why should we source these from anywhere else?

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE LEFT OVER OAT BRAN?

We work with a company called Refood that turns all our waste oat bran into bio methane, which feeds directly into the national grid to power homes and businesses in the north west.

WHO ARE YOUR INVESTORS?

We’re mainly a self-funded company, growing organically.  However, we have a few minor shareholders that were friends who wanted to help us get started. We don’t have any institutional investors backing us.

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