Overherd launches UK’s first oat milk powder

An even more sustainable alternative milk which cuts packaging by 90%. 

Overherd, a Yorkshire based start-up is aiming to make plant milk even more sustainable by offering the UK’s first oat milk powder. Typically, store bought plant milks contain over 90% water, which adds a huge amount of weight and packaging requirements to products. Overherd’s ‘just add water’ solution allows consumers to add the water at home which significantly reduces the need for bulky packaging. Furthermore, Overherd has traded in conventional milk cartons for a super lightweight recyclable pouch, with each unit capable of producing 8 litres of on demand, delicious and instant oat milk. 

Sandy Eyre, founder of Overherd believes that “plant milk is a bit like blackcurrant squash – it wouldn’t make sense to buy squash pre-mixed. It would be super bulky and packaging intensive – we think the same applies to plant milk, which is why we focus on the oat concentrate, the part that provides the flavour and nutrition.”  

“The environmental impact of dairy production is becoming more well known, and it’s great to see so many switching to plant milks. However, we think you can do one better in terms of sustainability.” Founder, Sandy Eyre

Whilst the growing popularity of sustainable plant milks is helping to reduce the huge environmental impact of dairy farming, faster action needs to be taken to prevent our love of milk from harming the already fragile climate system. Overherd is making plant milk even more sustainable by questioning how products reach consumers. Its first product, a ‘just add water’ powdered oat milk will cut packaging by 90% compared to store bought plant milks. Whilst most brands sell pre-mixed plant milk in bulky Tetra Pak cartons containing mostly water, Overherd focuses on the oat concentrate, and as a result can offer significantly lighter and less bulky packaging. 

More good news – lighter and less bulky products also translate to a reduction in carbon emissions throughout the supply chain. Powdered milk is 10 times lighter than its pre-mixed counterpart, and this equals fewer trucks and subsequently lower transport emissions.

Overherd is also tackling the issue of food waste, and with over 490 million pints of milk thrown away each year in the UK alone, this has both economic and environmental ramifications. Powdered oat milk naturally has a much longer shelf life than pre-mixed milks, and so off milk will no longer be a concern. Moreover, users will be able to mix the exact amount of milk needed at the point of use, which will also reduce the amount of unused milk going to waste.  

Overherd will be launching their new oat milk powder on Friday 27^th January, and will be available to purchase at overherd.uk – their direct-to-consumer website. 

Market Background

In 2021, oat milk surpassed almond to become the UK’s most popular plant milk, and it happens to be one of the most sustainable, producing 75% fewer CO2 emissions than dairy on a litre for litre basis. It is also far less resource intensive, requiring only a fraction of the water and land that dairy demands. 

The dairy industry is coming under increased scrutiny – it produces almost double the amount of carbon emissions as the entire global aviation industry and represents a significant contributor to global warming effects. Furthermore, the digestive process of dairy cows releases vast quantities of methane gas, which has an 80 times stronger global warming effect vs. carbon dioxide. 

Conclusion

Outside of the plant milk industry, other brands are also shaking up how products reach consumers, with several cleaning and cosmetic brands also launching ‘just add water’ products. However, this is just one way in which brands can shake up the status quo, and Overherd’s overarching goal is to force brands to re-evaluate the entire lifecycle of products, not just focusing on the sustainability of the ingredients used.

For more information visit www.overherd.uk