An Edinburgh mum has left her previous role supporting women’s rights in conflict zones across the world to launch the first of its kind oat milk business - Three Robins.
Karen Robinson, 44, from Murrayfield, says that she made the change after she felt that the travelling involved with her previous role was not compatible with family life. She had worked in areas experiencing war in West and Central Africa as well as South Asia alongside the UN, EU and UK government, with a special focus on policy supporting women's rights in those regions for twenty years.
The mum of three boys, Alasdair, nine, Christopher, seven and William four, spotted a gap in the market for oat milk that could meet all of the complex needs of a family. Her middle child Christopher is lactose intolerant and as a result has relied upon plant based milk from a young age.
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But Karen says that her family would have three to four milks in the fridge in order to accommodate different needs. She says that oat milk has traditionally been designed for baristas and cafés but that there was not a product that would also work for things like cereal.
This led to her coming up with an idea to create her own oat milk brand during the Covid-19 pandemic in her own kitchen. After some arduous research and hard work - as well as taste tests with her children - they created a product that was launched to the local and Scottish market in April 2022.
On the journey and how she came up with the concept she said: “Our middle child, Christopher, is lactose intolerant and so he has relied upon plant milk from a young age. As a family we have kicked dairy milk out of our lives as a result.
“Oat milk can be versatile but we found there was not really a brand that can be used for all of the family’s needs. The kids like the taste of oat milk and its natural sweetness but most brands were focused on barista style drinks and were marketed at coffee drinkers.
“They can be quite thick and creamy and it doesn’t normally taste nice on cereal or as a drink. It is traditionally not fortified with all the goodness that kids need either.
“So I saw an opportunity for oat milk that focuses on the family and meets the needs of parents and kids. We found we would have two to three different kinds in our fridge - one for cereal, one for coffee but we needed one product that can do it all.
“This gave me the idea to make our own oat milk. I started making it myself in the kitchen and got a nut milk machine and did taste testing in glass bottles.
“We tried to scale up the recipe and found that the best way to do this was to make it shelf-stable. This means that its aseptic packaging can keep for long periods in the cupboard until you need it and will stay fresh.
“This was the best way to get our product to the market and we were doing all of this during lockdown, just continuously developing the recipes, with my kids being the harshest of critics. My husband Peter, the kids and all their friends chipped in to make sure it tasted right, felt right and looked right - almost everyone got involved in making it perfect.
“We also found the perfect manufacturer that would allow us to develop the brand and produce the packaging needed for the market. This meant that we were able to get on the production line with a manufacturer in April and launch Three Robins in May.”
The name Three Robins comes from the family name, Robinson, and the three boys. At the moment the business only produces plain oat milk but they say that they will also be looking to introduce a healthy and nutritious chocolate oat milk in the near future.
Karen says it was important for her to incorporate fortification, which means all the goodness and vitamins that you find in traditional milks. Vegan products are often fortified with vitamins and other supplements for things you may be missing on a vegan diet - these can include things such as calcium, vitamin D or B-12.
On the product and their future plans, Karen continued: “There is also no added sugar so parents can feel confident giving to their kids. It also works well as a Barista coffee and you can do latte art with it if you want.
“My whole family has been really supportive and they love seeing it in shops. We have so far made it into local grocers in Edinburgh and Aberdeen and the kids help me deliver orders to café’s and customers' homes but it is a one woman show at the moment.
“The boys are excited and they go through a tonne of it. It is hard work running a business and being there for them, the balance can certainly be challenging.
“But as the business evolves we hope that the kids can become more involved as after all it is a family business and product. We also aim to be involved with some of the big supermarkets but for now the goal is independent grocers, delis and café’s that will allow us to build a local community around our brand.
“A big target is also nurseries and schools because it falls within the government guidelines with having the fortification element that is ideal for children. We already supply a playgroup in Corstorphine.
“In the past some kids that did not drink milk would be left out but this product will help them be included. Those trying it are falling in love with it and we have received some fantastic reviews.”
You can view the Three Robins website and enquire about an order here.
Three Robins is now available to buy directly from threerobins.co.uk in both 12 x1L and 6 x 1L cases.
You can also visit their Instagram here.
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