The world of alternative milk products is one that has seen rapid growth and tapping into that is Miles Marlow-Thomas and his sister, Hannah. Emily Ashworth finds out more.
THE world of alternative milk products is one that has seen rapid growth and tapping into that is Miles Marlow-Thomas and his sister, Hannah. Making the most of the oats grown at home on Rectory Farm near Market Harborough, Leicestershire, they have recently diversified and are now starting to see an increasing demand for their new, fresh oat milk product, Wild and Furrow.
Having worked in London in the coffee industry, it was Miles who saw an opportunity to capitalise on the farms crop.
A rise in alternative milk products
He says: I noticed a rising trend in alternative milks and most of them were almond or soya. I did some research into oats after some clients asked about it and realised as we grew oats on-farm, we should look into it, because all of the brands were foreign.
We wanted to diversify and bring something new to the farm and we are not anti-dairy, just finding an alternative market for our product.
Miles came home to the farm two years ago and works on-farm and on the oat milk. Hannah married an organic beef farmer and had three children, but when Miles came home and explained what he wanted to do, it was a case of the right place and right time.
Giving the farm a new focus
Hannah says: It was perfect for me because I was ready for a new challenge. I really like being with people and the customers and chatting away. I love getting out there and selling it and hearing what people think of it.
The family has farmed at Rectory Farm for 80 years. It extends to around 404 hectares (1,000 acres), growing cereals, beans and peas and is now home to a new oat processing factory after Miles converted one of the old farm buildings. It gives the whole story, from farm to bottle. And as Miles was looking to return home anyway, it gave the farm a new focus. In December last year they produced their first glass bottles of fresh oat product.
We work with dairy farmers who have a couple of milk rounds and they have chosen to work with us over any other oat brand and our glass bottles sit alongside theirs beautifully says Hannah.
Milk rounds
We cannot deliver it fresh ourselves every week, which is why we have started working with these local milk rounds. It will allow us to grow. I feel we are on the cusp of starting to really expand and we can start heading into London and in the North.
It is not a hard sell because people love honesty. We are not attacking anyone we are genuine farmers who are growing these quality oats anyway and providing what people need. A lot of people cannot tolerate dairy, and people love the taste.
We did a lot of taste testing and foamability analysis, so were delighted to hear that the coffee shops are enjoying working with it."
They also saw huge success over summer after a local festival reached out.
Environmentally friendly
Miles says: They had all these coffee shops on-site using oat milk but buying it in cartons. They asked if we could produce it in bulk, so we put it in 25-litre cans and the traders loved it. And ours is different because ours is fresh. We suppled 10,000 litres that week.
Their product is sold at about 2.30 per bottle and they are producing, at capacity, 5,000 litres per week for milk rounds, farm shops, coffee shops and delis. They also recently won the silver in the best drink category at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards and, with it being the only non-alcoholic product in the category, it was quite the accolade for the pair. But being able to produce a good, quality British product and tell the story through from start to finish is something special for them.
British oat milk
Miles says: A lot of oat milk brands are not British. As British farmers, we can grow some of the best quality oats in the world and we want to celebrate this.
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