Hälsa, the maker of the first and only 100% clean, organic oat milk yogurts, today celebrates the first seeds planted in US soil at its pilot farm with dairy farmers, using Scandinavian organic oat seeds for a dairy-to-oat conversion program. Click here to see their 2 minute video which explains the program.
Modern agriculture has been in need of such a development and this marks the start of a new era in terms of its progression away from the unsustainable exploitation of animals. Providing a practical solution for dairy farmers is seen by many as the next frontier in the fight against animal agriculture.
Vegconomist interviewed co-founders of Hälsa, Helena Lumme (President) and Mika Manninen (CEO) this March about this fascinating and forward-looking brand and what makes their products and concept so revolutionary. Commenting about their first agricultural conversion, the founders said, “We are currently importing our organic oats from Scandinavia because we haven’t been able to find oats in the US that meet our high-quality standards.
“We hope to change that soon and source locally. That’s why we started our farm project, with the goal of converting US dairy farmers to grow premium oats. Our first farm in upstate New York will start growing Scandinavian style organic oats this Spring.”
The company’s press release today states: “Hälsa is teaching U.S. dairy farmers to grow organic oats with the same zero water footprint method used in Scandinavia. The Hälsa dairy-to-oat farm conversion program creates a long-term resolution in the U.S. food industry by domestically growing more sustainable, nutritious and higher quality oats that can be used in multiple healthy plant-based foods. ”
Plant-based options are becoming mainstream as products increase and improve. This rise in popularity causes established plant-based companies to upscale and drive down costs to customers and compete financially with dairy but ultimately nobody wants to see farmers lose their livelihoods, and this program helps to eliminate that risk.
Hälsa’s co-founders stated: “Our program allows U.S. dairy farmers to create a domestic supply chain for premium organic oats that isn’t dependent on imports. We are taking a big step to reshape the future of food in America – a vision that is now more important than ever. We implore others to take similar action in supporting and fostering growth for premium ingredients right here in the USA.”