Two new products are added by a plant-based food firm to its oat lineup.
SASKATCHEWN, REGINA— The vertically integrated plant-based food firm Above Food Corp. intends to combine the Only Oats and Culcherd brands to create an oat supply chain.
The only source of certified gluten-free oat-based ingredients and consumer goods is Oats, located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. All Canadian retail establishments carry only Oats branded items. Ontario-based Culcherd is a certified organic producer of plant-based dairy substitutes.
According to Above Food Corp., the Only Oats and Culcherd brands should be accessible in the US by the beginning of 2019. The global market for alternatives to oat milk was valued at $3.7 billion in 2019 by Grand View Research, based in San Francisco, and was expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate of about 10% between 2020 and 2027.
“We think it makes a lot of sense to have a platform that controls the whole supply chain for the best oats worldwide because oats are winning the plant-based dairy war,” stated Martin Williams, co-founder of Above Food Corp. and president of Above Food Brands, a division of Above Food Corp. This is very personal to me because I have two children who have used Only Oats and Culcherd products who are sensitive to dairy and gluten for an extended period. As we anticipate the development of superior plant-based foods in the future, we are thrilled to include Only Oats and Culcherd in our constantly growing Above Food family.
The company Above Food Corp. intends to build a dedicated gluten-free factory for the production, packaging, and storage of Farmer Direct Organic legumes, Only Oats, and Eat Up! whole grains and snacks. The facility will be close to the current organic ingredient port operated by Above Food Corp. in the Regina area.
The 2020-founded Above Food Corp. sources plant proteins from oats, chickpeas, peas, lentils, and fava beans for all of its consumer brands, which include Farmer Direct Organic, Only Oats, Eat Up!, and Culcherd. Additionally, Above Food Corp. operates a B-to-B company named Purely Canada Foods serves consumers in 35 countries by providing plant-based ingredients and plant proteins.
Lionel Kambeitz, executive chairman and CEO of Above Food Corp., stated, “We’ve followed both Only Oats and Culcherd over the last year and have admired how they have both built incredible, differentiated platforms.” In order to give customers the foods they desire, both businesses fundamentally take pleasure in providing high-quality, nutrient-dense, traceable, and sustainable foods and ingredients. This combines all of our basic brand values.
Merely Oats checks its goods for gluten down to 5 parts per million (ppm), a more stringent requirement than the 20 ppm set by the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada. Above Food Corp. has appointed Mike Marshall, the creator and CEO of Only Oats, as a director of its oats platform.
With Above Food’s size and vertically integrated business model and Only Oats’ access to and expertise in the gluten-free oat market, Mr. Marshall stated, “This partnership really is a perfect match.” “We’ve gotten off to a great start and will be sharing a lot more exciting news about this platform’s future soon.”
Culcherd was developed by Tim Donnelly, a plant-based lifestyle enthusiast, and chef Liz Gallagher.
“I’m thrilled to be moving forward with Elizabeth Gallagher and helping to remove plastic and animals from the food chain,” Mr. Donnelly stated. We’re excited to lay the groundwork for all plant-based dairy products developments at Above Food in the future. With Above’s leadership, scale advantage, and innovative DNA, we are confident that we can achieve great things together.