25 years' experience with oats

50's and 60's

It all started way back in the beginning of the 60’s. WHO had a world conference, stating that more animal protein would be needed in the world. So Astra Nutrition set up a factory in Bua (close to Gothenburg in Sweden), starting to produce fish protein.

At the same time, during the 50’s and 60’s, a peasant boy named Åke Andersson grew up, always fascinated by the fact that the animals at the farm were so well-being thanks to the oats that they were fed with. Oats were also eaten by humans at the farm and in the rest of Sweden, mainly as porridge.

“There must be other ways to use the oats to increase health for human beings even more”, he thought…

In fact, in 1963 the first known clinical study was conducted, showing that eating oats would lower cholesterol.

80's and 90's

In the 80’s, the demand for fish protein went radically down, so to survive, the plant needed a new mission. Some of the pioneers together with the Swedish farmers’ cooperation Lantmännen started to try to defat oat flakes instead – and thus increasing the content of beta glucans. 

In the late 80’s, the pioneers sought venture capital, to build the company more firmly and put the products to the market. Åke Andersson was involved, now putting his boyhood ideas of healthy oats into reality.

In 1989 Swedish Oat Fiber was founded, to develop competence in production technology and to launch healthy oat based ingredients to the food industry.

In 1992 was the first launch of oat bran.

In 1994 the last delivery of fish protein took place and from that time, the plant only handled oat.

The 90’s was overall for Swedish Oat Fiber a decade of developing technology, researching and networking, participating and observing clinical studies. A huge part of time was dedicated to the regulatory part, to make different authorities accept the results of the studies and acknowledge the legality of health claims. In 1997 came one of the breakthroughs, FDA in USA approved the health claim related to consumption of oat beta glucans.

00's and today

In 2002, a subsidiary was founded in Switzerland, by the name of CreaNutrition AG. CreaNutrition’s mission was to market and sell the oat products from Swedish Oat Fiber’s production in Sweden – and also to observe and canvass for legal approvals for health claims, by authorities all over the world, which actually happened.

In 2004, a new product line entered the market - there was a demand for the healthy oat oil. During the coming years, many tons of crude oat oil was shipped to UK and USA, to improve feed and supplements for pets and horses. Today, deliveries are increasing to both the cosmetic and food industry and also thanks to an increased consciousness of the oat oil’s well-being effects for pets and animals with sensitive stomachs.

Some years ago, CreaNutrition was phased out as a company and Swedish Oat Fiber took over the direct selling and marketing, in close cooperation with heavy partners in different areas. Everything is now run from Sweden, still from the same site in Bua in Sweden where it all started many years ago.

Since 2017 Swedish Oat Fiber is a part of Naturex

And since 2018 a part of Givaudan. 

Today, has a stable platform, being a well reputed world leading supplier of oat products such as beta glucans, oils and flours. We did in many years – and we still do – invest a lot of both time and money into research – and thus we are probably the world leading competence of oat beta glucans and oat oil benefits.

And all of it is thanks to a peasant boy having dreams of giving people more healthy lives by eating oats.