Lotus Bakeries Invests in Dutch Online Direct-to-consumer Brand Oot

FF2032, Lotus Bakeries’ corporate venture fund recently acquired a minority stake in Dutch direct-to consumer brand Oot. Founder Valentine van der Lande launched the Oot online brand of granolas in 2018, offering a broad range of freshly baked, gluten-free and organic granolas that are low in sugars. The products are sold online and delivered straight to the consumers’ doorstep. Catering to their personal preferences, consumers can either place single orders or opt for a convenient subscription model to ensure a continuous product supply at home. The granolas are available in six different variants, including a classic granola full of nuts, a cacao granola and a low-carb ‘keto’ granola.

Since its launch, Oot Granola has quickly grown its customer base to 60,000 customers in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Oot founder van der Lande commented on the investment: “Lotus Bakeries is a company I greatly admire for its entrepreneurial culture and continuous drive to conquer the world with its products. Since the start, three years ago, Oot has grown strongly in the Benelux and we have the ambition to become the biggest healthy breakfast brand in Europe. FF2032 allows us to maintain our entrepreneurial spirit, while Isabelle Maes, CEO Natural Foods Lotus Bakeries, joins the board as non-executive director.

Maes added: “Oot caught our attention with its pure online direct-to-consumer concept. We are impressed by the growth path of Oot, driven by the online subscription business that creates a robust customer base and on top provides direct access to consumers to be able to cater to their preferences. We strongly believe in the scalability of this model to accelerate the business both in the Benelux and internationally. “