Oatsu

Idea

Introduction

Overnight oats are in demand – they’re the 4th most Googled recipe globally, with searches up 4600% since 2014.

But they’re time-consuming to prepare, and retailers and consumers are looking for a better convenient solution.

Oatsu makes it easy to enjoy a healthy breakfast on-the-go – we’ve delivered 20,000+ breakfasts to 2,744 customers and businesses UK-wide.

We soak oats in oat milk and add fruit and seeds to create 4 delicious flavours (including a collaboration with ManiLife) – all plant-based, in recyclable packaging.

In the US, MUSH, Brekki and Oats Overnight have already leapt on the opportunity, and are generating tens of millions in revenue.

We aim to replicate their success in the UK and become the first dedicated overnight oat brand on shelves here.

Our first nationwide listing is with Holland & Barrett (645 stores), as part of their strategic roll-out of chilled and fresh foods.

Substantial accomplishments to date

In late 2019, founder Lauren left the corporate world and started making overnight oats from her kitchen, and selling them online and at markets. We’ve since:

1. Partnered with a manufacturer who can scale with us

2. Delivered 23,000+ breakfasts to more than 3,000 UK-wide customers, earning over 100+ 5-star reviews

3. Quickly became rapid grocer Jiffy’s top-selling breakfast ahead of Kellogg’s and Weetabix

4. Secured launch into 645 Holland & Barrett stores from mid-October 2023

5. 1 of 8 brands joining Co-op’s Apiary incubator for mission-driven food & drink brands, which will involve nationwide distribution in Co-op stores

6. Built a strong and experienced team, including an advisor with 30 years’ experience in senior roles at Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Costa

7. Grown an engaged social following of 12,000+

8. Featured in The Sun, Guardian, Metro and The Grocer, on billboards across the UK, and shouted out by BBC Dragon Steven Bartlett to his 3 million Instagram followers.

9. Participated in business accelerators with Natwest, Unrest, and the London School of Economics (LSE)

Monetisation strategy

1. Grocery: Our breakfasts are launching into 645 Holland & Barrett stores, and we’re 1 of 8 brands chosen to be part of Co-op’s Apiary scheme for mission-driven food & drink brands. We’re also in discussions with some of the UK’s largest grocers, including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and WHSmith Travel.

2. Foodservice: We already supply coffee shops, gyms and offices, and we’re in talks with leading wholesale distributors to expand our out-of-home distribution.

3. D2C: We’ve already delivered 23,000 breakfasts to over 3,000 customers. We aim to grow this channel and reach more health-conscious, time-poor customers with one-off and subscription orders delivered straight to their homes and offices.

4. Rapid grocery: We quickly became rapid grocer Jiffy’s top-selling breakfast ahead of Kellogg’s and Weetabix – our breakfasts flew with their younger urban demographic. We’re speaking with other leading nationwide quick commerce players who can deliver our breakfasts in 10 minutes or less.

Use of proceeds

1. Grow our distribution in grocery and food service: Our key focus is to secure further listings with the UK’s largest convenience and supermarket retailers, and with distributors that supply offices, schools, universities and gyms nationwide.

2. Develop new products: Next year we plan to launch the UK’s first ‘just add milk’ overnight oat mixes that allow you to prep perfect overnight oats anytime, anywhere. We aim to disrupt the tired supermarket cereal aisle with the first ‘overnight oat’ branded range.

3. Expand our team: We plan to hire a Supply Chain Manager to support our launch into nationwide retail, ensuring we have key hires in all critical roles including Sales, Marketing and Operations.