It’s World Plant Milk Day, oat you know? 🌾🥛 And in our opinion, the best one out there is oat milk. So, we chatted with Christina Dorr Drake (she/her), co-founder and CEO of Willa’s, a brand on a mission to create a plant-based organic oat milk that tastes as good as it is for people and the planet. “My sister, Elena, and I were tired of plant-based milks that were watery, chalky, and made with mostly sugar, artificial ingredients, and rapeseed oil rather than actual plants,” she says. “My grandmother, Willa, used to make her own homemade oat milk back in the day. She was ahead of her time [laughing]! We started with her recipe and a commitment to using real honest ingredients. It took us close to two years before we were ready to launch Willa’s Unsweetened Original.”

Scroll down to learn how Willa’s oat milk is better than the rest, as well as some t-oat-ally tasty recipes to try with it.

How is Willa’s different from other oat milk brands already out there?
We completely redesigned the way plant-based milk is made. Willa’s uses real, organic ingredients and a belief in using the whole entire oat rather than just oat sugar. (Willa’s Original actually has just one gram of sugar from the oats!) Using the whole oat makes Willa’s extra rich and smooth, lower in sugar, higher in protein and prebiotic fiber, and climate positive. Food waste isn’t great for society, and it’s a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions. Using the whole oat means nothing good is wasted.

How have you seen the plant-based industry change since you stepped into it?
As the alternative milk category has gotten bigger, it’s also gotten murkier. As a barrage of new players entered, they forgot why this category came into existence in the first place: to create a healthy, creamy, and more sustainable alternative to dairy. Plant-based milks can do more than offer “less bad” alternatives to dairy. They can have a net positive impact and even have the potential to help reverse climate change. If we aren’t trying to accomplish that, what’s the point?

What are different ways to use Willa’s oat milk?
Willa’s fans come up with so many brilliant recipes and hacks, like freezing coffee as ice cubes and pouring Willa’s over them. Or the easiest and simplest dinner—combining Willa’s with your favorite BBQ sauce, pouring them over chicken, and throwing it in the oven! (It’s like a contemporary, dairy-free take on a buttermilk chicken.) I love doing this on a weeknight with The New Primal’s sauces because they’re super clean and don’t have a lot of sugar. Here are a few of our most popular recipes:

DRINKS:

BREAKFAST:

DESSERTS:

And finally, what’s your fave Willa’s flavor? Plus, will there be more in the future?
I drink Willa’s Unsweetened Original in my matcha latte every morning. I’m especially proud of Willa’s collaboration with Raaka Chocolate on Willa’s Chocolate Oat Milk. Chocolate milks tend to have the most artificial ingredients, but ours is healthy and tastes like a brownie in a glass using all real ingredients, single-origin Peruvian cacao, and a touch of maple sugar.

We have a lot of innovations we’re exploring, including new flavors. Please don’t hesitate to DM us on Instagram or email willasteam@willaskitchen.com if you have any ideas or requests!