Entrepreneurial relatives George and Gregor Mackintosh making splash with new oat milk offering

Scottish tech veteran George Mackintosh and his nephew, oil company boss Gregor, are aiming to create a “powerhouse” oat milk brand in Scotland after acquiring a Scottish firm operating in the sector.

George Mackintosh founded international tech business Eggplant, which was sold to Nasdaq-listed Keysight Technologies for $330 million (£262m) in 2020, and he is the director of historic East Lothian farm redevelopment Papple Steading.

Gregor Mackintosh is the founder and managing director of Mackintosh of Glendaveny, which is described as the UK’s largest producer of cold pressed rape seed oil, available in most UK supermarkets and also exported internationally.

They have snapped up Untitled Oats, which was founded in Edinburgh in 2020 by Imperial College London chemical engineering graduate Alex Baldwin and University of Edinburgh sustainable development graduate Callum McCadden. They created the brand, developed the formula, and established a processing plant in the Scottish capital, selling its fresh oat milk-alternative drink to retail outlets across the South-east of Scotland.

Following the acquisition, the merged Mackintosh Oats business will move its production facility to the family farm in Aberdeenshire before re-launching later this year. The firm says the first of a range of oat milks will be available later this year, with the product having a “clear and strict Scottish provenance”, grown and made in Scotland, and the first producer to scale its operation with full British Retail Consortium accreditation.

Mr Baldwin and Mr McCadden will remain as shareholders, responsible for the initial manufacturing set-up and helping guide the strategy of the firm, which expects to announce major distribution deals and supply partnerships in the second half of 2022.

George Mackintosh, chair of the oat milk firm, said: "We are very excited about building a market-leading business in Scotland which can boast that its products are authentically Scottish, like Scotch whisky.

From left: Alex Baldwin, George Mackintosh, Gregor Mackintosh, and Callum McCadden. Picture: Stewart Attwood.

"Our oat milk will be another famous national drink enjoyed around the UK and internationally… we have the best team.”

Gregor Mackintosh, who holds the role of chief executive, commented: "Oat milk is made from oats, water, and rape seed oil. We have lots of good Scottish water, the family farm already grows oats, and we've been producing a fine rape seed oil for 11 years – our product will be real McCoy."