Since our ExtraOATdinary evening was by invitation only, we've decided to give you an insider's view of this festive, social event. We advise you to read on to the end, as we have a few surprises in store, and we need your help!
Why an ExtraOATdinary evening?
It's no secret that this has been a major year in the history of Oatbox, with a number of achievements that mark a real turning point for us.
Oatbox is now a food-processing facility in Quebec, as well as a retailer of food products made from Canadian oats. What does that mean? It means we're playing in the big leagues by making our own liquid oat base, the key ingredient in our oat beverages.
A giant leap for us, who were born 9 years ago thanks to our online subscription system of granolas in a variety of flavours.
The next logical step was to offer you our oat beverages, carefully developed and lovingly crafted.
This desire was born of a simple observation: almost one in two drinks in Quebec coffee shops is ordered with plant-based m*lk (oat beverage in the lead). The majority of these oat m*lks are imported from the United States, Europe or the United Kingdom, while Canada is the world's leading oat exporter.
We saw this as a wonderful opportunity to offer a product of exceptional quality, thanks to our expertise in oats, and made here with Canadian oats.
Since June 2023, our Original oat beverage, enriched with vitamins and minerals, has been available in grocery stores and on our website.
Our barista oat beverage is also used and available in more and more 3rd wave coffee shops.
Developed with baristas and micro roasters to offer exceptional quality plant-based foam, it's quite simply the best alternative on the market, and we're not the only ones to say so!
"Honestly, I find the product perfect. The taste, the texture, everything." Caroline from Café Mucho Mucho
"Very nice foam produced to make a perfect latte. One of the most beautiful foams I've managed to produce with plant-based milk." Pier-frederic B.
''The texture is rich and silky, not chalky like some products of this type. The taste lingers pleasantly on the palate. Unlike other vegan drinks, Oatbox's doesn't need to be sweet or chocolaty to be tasty.'' Francis Higgins, From Le Soleil
These oat beverages are the perfect complement to our oat-based snacks, including our oatmeals and overnight oats, designed to save you time without compromising on taste or quality.
So, it was all worth an evening of celebration, wasn't it?
Oats, star of the event
We're all in on Oats. So it was natural for us to place it at the heart of the evening: it was the star of the event!
We wanted to dress up the space with decorations that were both inspiring and educational about our favorite ingredient.
An information station was set up to show the various stages involved in transforming oats into a creamy, versatile plant-based beverage.
An itinerary was signposted for our guests, encouraging them to wander around the area, where dried oats were laid out so they never lost sight of them. Frames were also set up, featuring our products, all made with Canadian oats.
We were all ' Oat of this world ' during the event!
Finally, we couldn't have guests over without letting them taste our delicious oat products! Everyone was greeted with a shot of oat drink, and an Oatbox snack table was available for those cravings throughout the evening.
So You Think You Can MOUSSE latte art competition
The evening's star attraction, our latte art competition, brought together over sixty professional baristas to create the most beautiful plant-based latte art and/or encourage their colleagues.
It was in a festive atmosphere of healthy competition that our 3 grand prize-winners shone in front of our jury, made up of Félix from Bloom distribution, Mathieu from Spill the Bean and Sevan from AB Systems:
-Zoé, Yamabiko, Sutton
-Julien, IN GAMBA, Montreal
-Aimerance, Veille Café, Montreal
Hosted by Max from Café Saint Henri, this event brought together baristas from across Quebec to demonstrate that an oat latte can be not only as good, but as beautiful as a classic latte.
Each guest could also take up the challenge and awaken the barista in them by practicing at one of our 4 test stations, set up and hosted by Spill The Bean.
It was an opportunity to realize that our artists have incredible talent, which is not available to everyone!
What's next?
With so much happiness in the eyes of our team, our guest baristas and all our partners, we can't leave it at that!
We've decided to organize a series of friendly latte art competitions over the next few months, and put the spotlight on the artists who work in 3rd wave coffees near you.
Surrounded by the best artists in the province, we want to pursue our mission of offering the best alternative products to as many people as possible, without compromising on taste or quality.
We need your help
Do you know a barista whose latte art is so beautiful you barely dare drink his coffees? Is your neighborhood café like your second home, and your first decor inspiration? Write to us at marketing@oatbox.com or tag them below this post to make our paths meet!
Stay tuned
Psst... Born in 2014, Oatbox will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. A celebration that promises to be grandiose. We can only invite you to sign up for our newsletter so you don't miss a thing.
Thanks to our partners
AB Systems: jury and professional competition equipment
Spill The Beans: jury and test stations
Bloom Distribution: jury and consultation
Nata PR: Press relations
Republik: Signage design
Kéven Poisson: photography
Patrick St-Arnaud: retransmission and video capture
Loop, Bedford CIE: sponsors
Alexis Traiteur: each of our food stations offered 100% plant-based alternatives
Entrepôts Dominion: event venue