After more than a year of development, YOOK was introduced in February in the Baltic countries, specifically Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The logo was then unveiled to the global audience at Gulfood held in Dubai, where its organic oat drink won the “Best Health & Wellness Product” award at the Gulfood Innovation Awards 2024.
“We are pleased to enter the market so successfully. Our target markets are divided into two: Asia and the GCC, where we are actively looking for potential suppliers and partners to start exporting to those regions. Basically, this is the reason why we take part in Gulfood.
“We’re also seeing strong demand from Asia, such as South Korea, Vietnam and Singapore, so we’re very positive [about expansion]. It would be wonderful if we could find long-term partnerships, but there’s nothing to start with with a small delivery. The goal is to locate partners who will invest and expand the logo with us, so that we can grow together,” Katre Kõvask, CEO of YOOK Production, told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Kõvask added that plant-based beverages are no longer a niche category and that “all the rules” that apply to any fast-moving, savvy customer also apply to dairy alternatives.
“In the dairy sector, the product progression cycle is very fast. Most likely, it’s the long-term of oat-based drinks or any plant-based products as well, so we’ll need to keep up. At the same time, we have to constantly work on localizing new markets.
The logo plans to launch two new flavors, Chocolate and Mango, in May.
“These new flavors would appeal to the Asian market. We will also bet on other formats, so in the next Gulfood our diversity will already be much wider.
Although the product’s progression continues at full speed, YOOK will only focus on oat-based products.
“First of all, we need to address everything we do very well. Secondly, we must exclude all allergens from our factory. Soy and nuts have allergy problems, so you don’t need to incorporate them.
“In addition, our goal is to become a zero-carbon company, so we want to be sustainable [in our operations]. For example, we produce our own energy with a solar park by converting the waste created through our production process into biofuel. “Kõvask explained.
Currently, all YOOK products are manufactured entirely in Estonia, although the company does not rule out opening facilities in the future.
“If we see that the visitor wants our presence in their locality, we are in a position to build another plant. We are also open to creating personal labels, so we are very flexible.
Despite being new to this field, YOOK is already outperforming its competition in the Baltic states, according to Kõvask.
In particular, Barista Oat Drink is specially designed for the HoReCa sector. It has a mild flavor that is meant to complement and not overpower the flavor of the coffee. It also produces clever foam stability, making the coffee pleasantly creamy. In addition to being enriched with nutrients B2, B12, D2 and calcium, the product does not contain gluten, lactose or added sugars.
“Estonian food in general is very pure, potentially the purest in Europe. At YOOK we use organic rolled oats. I think the main explanation for why we won the Gulfood award is the purity and nutritional price of the drink, as well as its elegant texture.
Acknowledging that there is no shortage of oat drinks on the market at the moment, Kõvask believes that YOOK can outperform the festival by focusing on this aspect.
“There is a dilemma between being the first to arrive or the last to arrive. When you’re first, you have to create a category, you have to do a lot of marketing to create the demand, etc. , but you’ll still have some merit. “therein.
“If you’re a newcomer to the market, you have to be different, you have to be more flexible, and you have to portray the flavor. It sounds trivial, but since it’s all about food, taste is everything. If you do, if you don’t produce the most productive flavor, you may not get results.
In addition, Kõvask explained that the company invested “a lot of time and money” to achieve an incredible taste, with the support of food scientists.
“In addition to the Gulfood award, we also won an award from the International Taste Institute. This proves that what we say and its importance is true.
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