It’s been around a month since we were introduced to the new oat milk brand Oatside, and now we’ve gotten to know the hyped product a little better following a milk tasting session earlier this week.
While we referred to Oatside as an “oat milk brand made in Indonesia” in our review, we found out that it’s actually a Singaporean brand founded in 2020, though their factory is located in Bandung, West Java. Benedict Lim, Oatside founder and CEO, said that they chose Bandung as the city is close to a natural spring water source, which is crucial for the production process of oat milk.
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In Oatside’s press release, the brand stated that their mission is to provide “healthy and sustainable plant-based milk for people who don’t care for plant milk.” For that reason, Oatside is committed to only using the best quality ingredients to be processed at their own production facilities, ensuring the entire process from oats to milk to be free from additives such as artificial flavors and preservatives.
“We understand that flavors often become a barrier for many people to consume plant-based or environmentally-friendly milks. Therefore, we aim to develop an oat milk that can reverse this perception,” Lim said.
Other than being a tasty alternative for dairy milk and an option for the lactose intolerant folks out there, Oatside said that the brand’s mission had always revolved around environmental sustainability (and also because they don’t want to leave Earth for Mars, they say). Oat milk is generally known to be more environmentally friendly compared to other plant-based milk, and Oatside claims that the production of oat milk requires 90 percent less land and water. It also produces 70 percent less emissions than cow’s milk.
Additionally, the ingredients chosen for Oatside’s oat milk are Rainforest Alliance certified and the boxes use recyclable cartons made of materials with certification from the Forest Stewardship Council.
As we previously said, oat milk has pretty much taken over the plant-based milk market in the past couple of years. Its taste and creamy texture particularly go perfectly with coffee, making it a new favorite among baristas and coffee drinkers alike.
During the milk tasting, we tried all three flavors of Oatside — Barista Blend, Chocolate, and Chocolate Hazelnut — along with two other unnamed brands. After having accustomed to various oat milk brands and flavors in the past couple of years, it’s safe to say that Oatside’s offerings are malty and creamy minus the thick viscosity, making it a good choice for all our needs from coffee to smoothie bowls.
We also tried drinking three kinds of Indonesian beans provided by Common Grounds in both black and iced oat milk latte forms, guided by award-winning barista Mikael Jasin. While Oatside’s Barista Blend works well with Flores Washed, Aceh Semi Washed, and Bali Natural — even bringing out other flavor notes that didn’t appear when they were drank on their own — we were enthralled by the latter’s apparent strawberry and chocolate notes when it’s in the latte form.
If changing your diet or trying new things is in the list of your new year resolutions, now’s the time to try oat milk. Oatside is available for purchase on e-commerce platforms and at supermarkets and cafés near you.
