Plant-based food and beverage maker Califia Farms has launched Protein Oat, an alternative to dairy milk, in the US market.

The company claims that its new plant milk has been produced using pea, oat and sunflower proteins and offers a complimentary blend of nine essential amino acids.

Califia Farms founder and CEO Greg Steltenpohl said: “We’re excited to introduce versatile, delicious oat milk that outperforms traditional dairy milk across major nutritional markers.

“Protein Oat is a true gamechanger for our industry and marks one of the first times we’ve seen plant milk formulated with this level of nutrient-rich ingredients.

“Targeted especially for families with children, this now allows us to meet the demands of a previously untapped consumer segment – one whose primary barrier has been a concern for nutrition, specifically protein.”

Available in Vanilla and Original flavours, Protein Oat is said to contain low-sugar and is gluten-free.

It can be purchased at Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market across the US for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $5.99.

Califia research and development vice-president Nagendra Rangavajla said: “We created a healthier alternative for cow’s milk by leveraging diverse, plant-based ingredients such as peas, oats, sunflowers and flax oil to design our great-tasting Protein Oat product.

“It delivers quality protein, healthier fats with significantly higher omega-3, -6 and -9 compared to dairy milk, as well as nutrients such as vitamin D, calcium and potassium that are deficient in our diets.”

In January, Califia Farms raised a capital of $225m in Series D financing round to boost its production capacity.

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) led the funding round. Investors such as Singapore-based investment company Temasek, Canadian firm Claridge, Hong Kong’s Green Monday Venture, and an unnamed Latin-American family with significant interests in coffee and consumer products also joined.