New Zealand’s love affair with the flat white runs deep – but baristas have long struggled to find an alternative milk that froths properly. In 2017, Dunedin-based founders Chris Wilkie and Tim Ryan saw an opportunity to change that.
They weren’t just aiming to create another plant-based milk. Their vision was bold: a premium oat milk that outperformed every alternative in both taste and café functionality – smooth, creamy, and made from locally grown oats.
To bring their idea to life, the Otis team turned to FoodSouth, part of the New Zealand Food Innovation Network (NZFIN). They needed support to develop a production and packaging method that could deliver on every promise – flavour, texture, and function.
Within six months of engaging with FoodSouth, Otis was producing oat milk using Southland and Otago-grown oats. A soft launch in Dunedin cafés quickly proved the concept – Otis Oat Milk wasn’t just competitive; it outperformed the leading alternatives on the market.
Otis launched nationwide in 2018, and demand quickly soared. Today, their Barista and Everyday Milks are stocked in major retailers including New World, Countdown, Farro, and Moore Wilson’s.
Initially, with no commercial-scale plant-based production infrastructure available in New Zealand, Otis moved manufacturing to Sweden to keep up with demand – while offsetting shipping carbon emissions by 120%.
That changed in 2023 when Otis partnered with Free Flow Manufacturing to open a state-of-the-art production facility in East Auckland. The facility is designed to produce up to 50 million litres of oat milk annually, using New Zealand oats and advanced Swedish technology.
This move brings production back home and strengthens the local value chain while reducing environmental impact.
Otis is leading the shift toward sustainable agriculture and food production. Their early work with FoodSouth helped turn a novel concept into a fast-growing brand that’s now redefining how – and where – New Zealand produces plant-based products.
The new Auckland facility, in partnership with Free Flow, allows Otis to scale efficiently, support local jobs, and strengthen domestic capability in alternative dairy production.
Otis is more than a milk brand – it’s a movement for change. Backed by strong values and proven capability, the company is helping reposition New Zealand as a global player in plant-based innovation.
With NZFIN’s early support and their own bold vision, Otis is proving that oat milk isn’t just a trend – it’s the future.
