Family-run Finnish food and beverage company Kaslink is shifting its dairy focus to vegan-friendly products with the launch of a new line of oat-based drinks, cooking products, and plant-based yogurts. The Kaslink Aito line—available in stores across Finland this fall—will include nearly 20 oat-based products, such as Organic Fresh Oat Drink, Blueberry Oat Drink, and Oatgurts. “The category of plant-based products is significantly increasing, and at the same time the dairy market is declining globally,” Juha-Petteri Kukkonen, Kaslink Vice President of Brand and Communications, tells VegNews. “It’s also a matter of what’s good for the environment: Kaslink is a family-owned business, and responsibility, sustainability, and the environment are very important to us. Producing plant-based products is more environmentally-friendly.” Next year, Kukkonen plans to have several new oat-based product launches and grow into new markets outside Finland. The company believes that in the coming years, most of the its revenue will come from its oat-based products. Several dairy companies have recently shifted their focus to plant-based products, including multinational brand Danone, which acquired WhiteWave Foods (the parent company of vegan brands Silk, So Delicious, Vega, and Alpro) in 2016 for $12.5 billion and is currently developing vegan versions of its Activia and Actimel yogurt lines.

Finnish Dairy Brand Debuts Vegan Milk and Yogurt Line
Dairy company Kaslink expects its new line of innovative oat-based products to generate most of the company’s revenue in coming years.
July 19, 2018