As with so many brands the starting point for Three Robins was the homegrown resolution of an unprompted, out of the blue dilemma for which there was no credible, off-the-shelf answer.
When Karen Robinson discovered that one of her three boys was lactose intolerant, she started buying oat milk regularly, but was quickly disappointed by what the supermarket shelves had to offer, namely a brand that appealed to all the family needs, from providing barista-quality froth in hot beverages to being the perfect accompaniment for kids’ cereals. Too many kids’ offerings seemed either awash with needless sugars, low in nutritional integrity or lacking in appetite appeal from a children’s perspective. Throw in the fact that too few plant-based offerings are actively developed with kids in mind and you can see why the marketplace was ready for Three Robins.
Setting up an oat-based challenger brand to take on the plant-based establishment would be hard enough as a seasoned food & drink operator, but when your career background has been as a consultant supporting women’s rights conflict-affected countries within the public and third sector, that jump into the unknown becomes even more daunting.
Over the next few weeks and months countless makeshift oat milk concoctions were assembled in Karen’s kitchen and hoisted upon friends and neighbours. Whilst these impromptu tasters provided only the loosest glimpse of what was to come, there was sufficient encouragement from Karen’s small sample group for her to take the plunge.
‘Naturally the starting point was the creation of a multi-purpose oat milk with all-round family appeal, followed by fairtrade chocolate flavoured milk that my children were always urging me to purchase on my weekly shops, but with 30-50% less sugar than our mainstream peers and absolutely no artificial nasties. Our flavoured milks were assembled with two very distinct audiences in mind, those who crave flavoured milk (pre-dominantly everyday cow milk) but who are actively seeking lower sugar alternatives and plant milk devotees looking for something a little different. Both milks are fortified with vitamins and minerals (B12,B2, D, folic acid and iodine) in addition to calcium, making them some of the most complete and accomplished offerings in the UK marketplace and these numbers will swell yet further in 2025 with the eagerly anticipated arrival of a Berry and a Banana.’
The real sea change moment for this Edinburgh-based business may well turn out to be their leading-edge smoothie pouches launched this Summer, targeting that all too often overlooked 3-12 year old demographic looking for tasty yet convenient, on-the-go treats for their lunchboxes and outdoors adventures.
‘The idea for oat milk fruit smoothies came about from my own exercise regimes, when post workout I would simply whizz fruit, veg and oat milk (and in my case a little protein powder) together as part of my daily recovery plan. Incumbent kids’ juices are for the most part just juice (and primarily apple), so low in nutritional worth, so I spied an opportunity, not simply to provide better-balanced drinks but to surreptitiously slip more beneficial veg into my children’s diets and combine that with the goodness of an oat milk base. Unlike some offerings for whom the presence of veg means a heavy carrot leaning, my fibre-rich smoothies contain a veritable feast of healthier living veg outside of carrots, including parsnips beetroot, courgettes and parsnips.’
Super Berry includes an impressive 45% ‘hidden veg’ whilst our Totally Tropical contains a very plausible 25%
‘Better than that the smoothies also fulfil a life-long ambition for my proud, Scottish-based business to produce locally because when it comes to the oat milks there is currently no Scottish-based manufacturing capacity for a shelf-stable plant milk in Scotland albeit we’re switching to Scottish oats in the near future.’
Early indications suggest that kid-centric oat milk smoothies might well provide the blue torch paper moment that ignites supermarket listings, however Karen is treading carefully building her indie presence (delis, food halls, foodservice) conscious that the immediate priority is to keep building a loyalist consumer base (both retail & online) to ensure that awareness and rate-of-sale is sufficiently high when the big moment arrives. The education sector and the NHS are two more high profile opportunities down the line, once the economies of scale are sufficient to provide a suitable pricing structure.
‘In the short time Three Robins has been around (2022), I’ve learnt so much about the trials and tribulations of building a bootstrapped brand and bringing them to market, standing toe-to-toe with our financially well-backed peers whilst underpinning our distinct range advantages. Yes, it can be a slog but this is a business sector primed for constant innovation with an impressive track record of allowingchallenger brands to succeed. This is a sector that is receptive to credible outsiders and I’ve felt my unique background and brand vision has been well-received from the outset. We are so much more than a vegan or allergy alternative brand! Of course, we want to resonate with people who adopt a plant-based agenda for ethical, sustainable or allergy-based reasons, but more importantly, we want to make ourselves available for consumers pursuing a lower-sugar, healthier lifestyle!’
