VOA慢速英语--网红燕麦奶品牌Oatly美国IPO融资14亿美元

Oatly is the world's largest maker¹ of oat milk, a vegetable-based drink made from oats. The company is based in Malmo, Sweden. Now, it is getting a lot of attention from investors².

Last Thursday, Oatly raised $1.4 billion on the Nasdaq stock³ exchange when the company offered shares to the public for the first time. Oatly first priced its shares at $17 each. The company was then valued at nearly $10 billion. When shares began trading Thursday, the price of shares jumped 24 percent to $21 each.

The stock sale is the latest example of the fast rise of oat milk. The food is winning buyers and gaining the interest of famous investors like Oprah Winfrey. People like the oat milk message that says it is healthier and better for the environment than cow's milk.

Oat milk was once a product meant for a small number of people who got bad reactions to drinking cow's milk. Oatly's products can now be found at major American stores like Starbucks and Target. It is also sold online by Alibaba in China.

The company thinks there is more growth ahead. Market researcher Euromonitor found worldwide sales of such plant-based products reached $18 billion in 2020. That represents three percent of the $600 billion market for milk-based, or dairy⁴, foods.

Oatly said more people are trying its oat-based drinks, yogurt and ice cream. In the last three months, between 35 and 40 percent of adults in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, China and Sweden bought a plant-based milk product.

Nielsen is an American marketing⁵ research company. It says the sale of oat milk jumped 131 percent during the last year.

Nielsen also said U.S. sales for plant-based dairy products grew 15 percent during the 12-month period that ended on May 1. Oat milk is the second most popular plant-based dairy product behind almond milk.

Other companies are watching Oatly's growth closely⁶. Greek yogurt maker Chobani began selling oat-based yogurt, milk and other products last year.

Oatly's chiefToni Petersson said he is sure oat milk will be popular for a long time.

Cara Rasch is a researcher with Packaged Facts. She said many buyers also see it as a healthier choice compared to cow's milk. Cow's milk and oat milk have different nutritional⁷ qualities.

Oat milk requires less land and energy to produce than cow's milk and its production releases⁸ less gas linked to climate change than dairy milk.

An Oxford⁹ University study from 2018 found oat milk production has fewer bad effects on the environment than other plant-based milk products. For example, California almond milk production requires a lot of water because the almond trees grow in dry areas of California.

Speaking of the good effects of his products, Oatly's Petersson said, "We're here to make the world better. I know it sounds stupid, but it's true."

Words in This Story

oat – n. a kind of grain that is widely grown

yogurt –n. a food made from milk that becomes a semi-solid because of the action of bacteria

almond – n. a kind tree seed or nut that has a slightly sweet taste

1 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 stock   

n.存货，储备；树干；血统；股份；家畜；adj.存货的；平凡的，惯用的；股票的；畜牧的；vt.进货，采购；储存；供给；vi.出新芽；进货

参考例句：

• The shop takes stock every week on Friday mornings.这家商店每星期五早晨盘点存货。
• Experts have forecast an upturn in the stock market.专家已预测股票市场价格有上升趋势。

4 dairy   

n.牛奶场，乳品店；adj.乳制品的

参考例句：

• The yogurt sold by this dairy is delicious.这家乳品店出售的酸奶非常好喝。
• He kept a few dairy cows.他养了几头奶牛。

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

7 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

8 releases   

v.释放( release的第三人称单数 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• Nuclear fission releases tremendous amounts of energy. 核裂变释放出巨大的能量。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Zemel says that when calcium levels are low, the body releases a hormone that helps squeeze the most out of every available milligram of the mineral. 泽莫尔博士说，当人体中的钙含量偏低时，身体里就会产生一种荷尔蒙，它能帮助肌体最大限度地吸收所摄入的钙。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。