Cambs farm takes on oat milk multi-national with Victoria station billboard
Glebe Farm: "Oatly sued us. We won. Now help us pay off our lawyers" - Credit: Ben Stevens/PinPep
Glebe Farm in Cambridgeshire is taunting a multi-national oat "m*lk" company which tried to sue them.
The farm brand, which is based in Kings Ripton, near Huntingdon, took over a billboard at London Victoria station today (Monday, May 9).
It follows an attempt by Oatly to take Glebe Farm to court in 2021 for its PUREOATY products and cartoon-style packaging design.
But judge Nicholas Caddick QC threw out the case, rejecting Oatly's claim Glebe Farm intended to gain an "unfair advantage", ruling that PUREOATY would not be confused with the Oatly brand.
Glebe Farm's one-day billboard takeover at London Victoria - Credit: Ben Stevens/PinPep
Phil and Rebecca Rayner with their PUREOATY product. Oatly tried to sue Glebe Farm for the branding on the bottle (pictured), which has since been changed - Credit: Glebe Farm Foods
The one-day Glebe Farm campaign at London Victoria station asks railway passengers to "do the right thing" and buy oat milk from British producers.
A spokesperson for the Glebe Farm brand, which was founded by siblings Phil and Rebecca Rayner, admitted today's campaign is "above-the-belt".
They said: "The billboards call out the recent battle between Glebe Farm and Oatly, playfully asking customers to ‘help us pay off our lawyers’."
The Cambridgeshire farm claims that Oatly's oat milk products involve a high number of food miles by shipping oats between large factories globally.
They highlighted a survey by Perspectus Global which claims over 85% of oat milk is imported into the UK by market leaders, unlike their product which is made on-site near Huntingdon.
"That's food miles better," the spokesperson quipped.
A Glebe Farm spokesperson claimed their product is "food miles better" than Oatly - Credit: Ben Stevens/PinPep
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"A recent study commissioned by Glebe Farm showed 92 percent of Brits would prefer to buy dairy-free milk made from UK ingredients, with two thirds saying it’s because they want to support British farmers.
"This highlights the importance of the UK-based facility on its farm in Cambridgeshire."
But Oatly, which was founded in the 1990s and is now listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, hit back at the Glebe Farm campaign.
Oatly: "Nice job on the billboards! We’re flattered by the shout out" - Credit: Ben Stevens/PinPep
Lucy Hopkins-Parkinson, for Oatly, said: "Nice job on the billboards! We’re flattered by the shout out.
"We can’t wait to open our UK factory in Peterborough next year where we’ll also be buying oats from British farmers, and creating around 200 new jobs.
"We wish our future neighbours well as we all work towards our shared goal of a more sustainable food system. See you in 2023!"
