Oat milk producer Oatly has been frequently mentioned in various news and food media such as Forbes and Food Dive, as well as financial platforms such as mergermarket, with suggestions that the Swedish pioneer has plans to go public. However, at present these are just media speculations, says Communications Manager Linda Nordgren.
Oatly is a brand growing in size and success so rapidly that it is impossible to go unnoticed by the industry and those with their interest piqued by Beyond Meat’s IPO and more recently that of The Very Good Butcher. Speculations of a public listing have been doing the rounds since around February, and were inevitable, with investors around the world on tenterhooks for the next big opportunity.
Oatly has not yet officially commented on its IPO plans, but Linda spoke to vegconomist to provide us with her insight into the IPO rumours, saying that: “We’ve seen the media speculations around Oatly going IPO. Our track record of innovation and success is increasingly of public interest, as is the constantly rising demand for plant-based foods in general. This is a good thing, but it inevitably leads to the occasional market rumour. We don’t comment on rumours as they’re just that — rumours.”
Less than two months ago, Oatly secured $200 million in investment from a list of celebrities and further secured a European Green Deal; a 2 billion SEK loan based on sustainability targets aiming to be a game-changer for the plant-based industry. Linda explains, “We know that as a rapidly growing sustainability company we need to move fast for the benefit of the planet and all of us who live on it, and doing so will potentially require funding.
“That’s why we’ve just got some new investors and a Green Deal. So right now we will focus on expanding our impact across the globe with our new funding so that more and more people can upgrade their lives by switching to a plant-based diet and, in doing so, reduce their climate footprint. And then we will have to see what’s in store for Oatly in the future!”
In terms of this financing, Linda comments, “We are pleased and thankful to have partnered with a group of international lenders, that share our commitment to sustainability and are proudly communicating that they are financing Oatly. Nordea is lead Coordinator of the deal, with Rabo Bank acting as a Sustainability Coordinator and with the financial support of BNP and the Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK).”
Speaking about the role of the Green Deal in the company’s sustainability mission and the creation of a plant-based future, Linda commented: “With this deal we wanted to make financial funding more sustainable and contribute to change on a global level. We framed it around four sustainability targets, that will have us lowering our water and energy consumption, increase electric transportation and have us measuring all the CO2 we are saving the planet – assuming some oat drinkers partially replace cow’s milk with oat drink! ”
“Our future depends on how we produce food and tackle climate change, and we all need to challenge ourselves and others to become more sustainable and decrease our emissions. This Green Deal will help us improve our already sustainable products and continue our growth to create a more sustainable food system.”