Oatly Oat Milk and its Investments. It might leave a bad taste in your mouth. 1 of 2

A couple of years ago, word travelled around Totnes, Devon, UK of the delicious taste of Oatly milk in coffee and tea. Customers would arrive at the Happy Apple store in Totnes at delivery time to ensure buying a couple of cartons.

News reports this week about Oatly investments leave a bad taste in the mouth.

The $200 million Swedish company has recently sold 10% percent of shares to Blackstone, an investment company involved in the deforestation of the rainforest.

Reports say that Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman has donated $3 million to Donald Trump’s election campaign.

Oatly now faces protests from environmental activists and a boycott of its milk.

Two of our local much-loved coffee shops, the Hairy Barista and the Curator switched a month ago to support local farmers to a delicious organic barista oat milk grown locally. The two coffee shops use the local oat milk as much as possible.

Customers bring bottles to the shop at the top of high street to fill up with oat milk. This saves packing and shipping of oat milk from Sweden.

Daily newspapers in Britain report that Oatley sells 120 million litres of oat milk every year.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Oatley said Blackstone may be an “unexpected choice”, but the investment “will help us expand our sustainable mission and create more plant-based products”.

The original Twitter thread’s creator, activist Laura Young, wrote: “I don’t want my money going to the destruction of the planet, and putting people’s lives and land at risk just so that I can have a creamy coffee in the morning.”

Many caring customers buy oat milk out of the wish to support the environment. Oatly needs to put its customers before their desire for business expansion. We don’t need Oatly for our oat milk. It is easy to make in a blender, as well.

See 2 of 2. How to make barista style oat milk at home.