Pelster's fresh oat delight
Or: Healthy taste in no time
Plant drinks have developed into a real alternative, and not just for vegans and people who suffer from lactose intolerance! But have you ever looked at the list of ingredients for plant drinks from well-known manufacturers? First of all, there is water - why drive across the country for something that we can just get from the tap? Then follow stabilizers, thickeners and flavors - mmm, that doesn't sound really healthy and natural, does it? A situation that Anika and Marcel Pelster from Altenberge no longer wanted to accept.
A really good idea
As is sometimes the case - you need a concrete reason to rethink things and do them differently. Actually, the auditor Anika and the insurance broker Marcel had nothing to do with the food industry at all. But her son was born two years ago and her interest in healthy eating grew during her pregnancy and parental leave. In addition, there was suddenly a little more freedom for creative ideas.
After Anika had breastfed him for six months, she turned to pre-feeding powder and plant-based milk products. Increasingly, she wondered why so many additives are necessary, why the main ingredient in plant-based drinks - namely water - has to be transported across the nation in beverage cartons. And then she came up with a brilliant idea: to develop a powder that can be filled with water at home and turned into healthy and delicious oat milk in no time.
Now we went to the kitchen. Together with Marcel, she experimented a lot with oat flour. However, she realized that it wasn't that easy to develop an oat drink that only consisted of oats and yet didn't taste watery. The two researched and looked at competitors' products, made phone calls and made contacts. The more information they got, the more confident they were in their plan.
Only a few months passed from the idea to the founding of the company in May 2021. It took a whole year until the development was completed and the Pelster family was completely satisfied with their products. And then Anika and Marcel had to show even more patience: Due to the shortage of raw materials and the delay in the supply chains, it took a while until they received the packaging and were finally able to launch their online shop at the beginning of July.
The second baby is coming in a few weeks, and Anika and Marcel are far from finished with “Pelster's”, but are just at the beginning - they continue to work on innovations to make their products even more sustainable and for every taste to be able to offer the right thing for every age group.
For the whole family
From the very beginning, Anika and Marcel set their goals high: The raw materials used should not only be of high quality, but also, if possible, grown in an environmentally friendly way in Germany or the EU in order to keep transport routes short. The packaging should be largely recyclable if waste is separated correctly. And the plant-based drink should be made in no time, stay fresh for a long time and have a pleasant taste.
After some research and a creative packaging design process, the “organic oat drink” was quickly ready for sale. It consists of one hundred percent whole grain oat flour from controlled organic farming and no additives. However, the development of the “Barista Oat Drink” was a particular challenge because the creaminess of conventional plant-based drinks can only be achieved by adding fat. You can't look into a Tetra Pak or see if the oil is separating. The “Pelster's Glass Shaker”, which not only makes it easier for you to mix but also to store it in the fridge, is as transparent as the company itself - a layer of fat wouldn't be so appetizing, would it!?
Nevertheless, Anika and Marcel have managed to develop the “Barista Oat Drink”, a product that combines oat flour with rapeseed oil, which means it tastes particularly creamy and is easy to foam. It was a real challenge to get the rapeseed oil component into powder form so that it completely dissolves. A main reason why product development took so long. But it was worth it – “Pelster’s” has brought a real innovation onto the market. By the way, one can makes five liters of oat drink, which would be equivalent to five cartons of drinks - so you not only save a lot of waste, but you can always mix exactly as much as you need.
And then there is something else that you won't find on any supermarket shelf: cocoa powder that does not contain any industrial sugar. The “Organic Chocolate Drink” contains only natural sweetness from dates and cocoa. It tastes mildly sweet with a delicious chocolate note and ensures that the little ones don't even get used to the overly sweet taste. But the adults are also very enthusiastic about “Pelster's” chocolate drink, whether for baking or cooking, in breakfast porridge or iced coffee - Anika and Marcel receive a lot of feedback and collect different recipe ideas for their products on their homepage.
Of course, the “organic chocolate drink” can also be mixed with cow’s milk or other types of plant-based drinks. Any other container can be used instead of the “Pelster’s” glass shaker or drinking bottle. Anika and Marcel want to make it possible for every family and every age group to do something flexibly for their own health and also for the environment!
Source: https://zauberhaftes-muensterland.de/2022/08/05/pelsters-frischer-hafergenuss/
