Oatly Oat Drink

Oatly was founded in 1994 by food scientist Rickard Öste and his brother Björn Öste in Lund, Sweden. The brand originated from decades of research at Lund University, where a patented enzymatic process was developed to turn oats into a nutritious, dairy-like liquid. Originally operating under the name Ceba AB (and later Havre Global AB), the company pivoted from a focus on licensing its technology to becoming a consumer-facing lifestyle brand known for its bold marketing and sustainability focus.

Today, Oatly is a publicly-traded company on the Nasdaq (OTLY), headquartered in Malmö, Sweden. Manufacturing takes place across multiple continents to meet global demand, with major production facilities located in Sweden (Landskrona), the United States (Millville, NJ and Ogden, UT), the Netherlands (Vlissingen), and Singapore. In 2023, the company shifted toward a 'hybrid' manufacturing model, selling certain production assets in North America to the co-packer Ya YA Foods while retaining control over its proprietary oat-base technology.

The brand's ownership has evolved significantly since its founding. While originally owned by the Öste family and Swedish institutional investors like Industrifonden, it received substantial investment from Nativus Company Limited (a joint venture between the Chinese state-owned conglomerate China Resources and the Belgian investment firm Verlinvest) and The Blackstone Group. As a public company, its ultimate owners are now a mix of these institutional shareholders and public investors.