Finnish food company Raisio has announced that it will expand its international oat business activities to meet growing consumer demand.

The company invested around €8m in its oat mill facility located in Nokia, Finland. It expects this will facilitate the export of oat products and manufacturing of value-added products.

Raisio president and CEO Pekka Kuusniemi said: “Thanks to the investments, our oat mill is now in top working condition. We increased the mill capacity and our ability to manufacture different oat products to meet the growing demand in Finland and Europe.

“The oat boom is just beginning in Europe now, so the growth perspectives are quite interesting.”

In addition to its Benecol business, Raisio aims to increase its oat business with new offerings. These will include gluten-free oat products, which it will produce at its mill in Nokia from this year.

Raisio’s oat mill will also manufacture oat fibre products with high beta-glucan content.

Beta-glucan is an oat fibre that has the potential to lower cholesterol levels. It could also prevent fluctuations in blood sugar levels in the human body.

Kuusniemi further added: “We have invested in the production of our gluten-free oat products so that we can accelerate the export of quality Finnish foods in a competitive manner.”

The first Elovena Gluten-free products manufactured at the mill in Nokia will become available at stores between the end of January and beginning of February.

Raisio will also invest in a production facility that it will use to produce plant-based value-added products.

In June, Raisio announced an investment of nearly €45m in a plant-based added-value products production facility, which is scheduled to be completed in 2021.

This investment was in response to the growing demand for plant-based food products, especially in European markets.