When the world was still reeling from the pandemic in 2021, Oatly kicked off its public listing on the Nasdaq. The Swedish-bred company’s shares rose 20% on debut—it felt there was no stopping it from conquering the plant-based drink revolution.
That moment was long in the making: Oatly was born in 1994 in traditionally dairy-loving Sweden when food chemistry professor Rickard Öste and his brother Björn Öste joined forces to bring an oat-based milk alternative to life. The first products hit stores six years later.
