About

Our Heritage

Over a century of oat experience means that we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of oat knowledge and expertise.

Quaker Oats are kilned for 3 hours to ensure they are milled to perfection, and our oat experts oversee the milling of all oats to make sure each one meets our high standards.
We work closely with UK growers and use field trials to develop and improve growing practices.

Each year we invest heavily in developing techniques in oat growing and emerging technologies in oat milling.
We hold an annual Oat-milling Improvement Conference in order to share our learning's, which is attended by representatives from all our milling sites.

Quaker mills oats in different countries around the world, but our main factory is in Cupar, Scotland. Our master miller there, Dave MacKay, is a third generation miller who has seen many changes in the 20 years that he's worked there. Originally there were only 30 workers in the factory and oat production was predominantly in winter, whilst now there are 200 workers and the factory runs 24/7 all year round.

Dave oversees the supply of the 47 million gallons of Quaker porridge consumed in the UK every winter, and is responsible for meeting these volume requirements. He's also involved with new Quaker product development, assisting the millers and reviewing production in the factory. He has worked in various roles in the factory to gain experience for his current role, and enjoys the fact that no two days are the same.

Growing our oats

Oats are hardier than other grains and cereals so can be grown on higher ground.

The oat grain is protected by its husk or shell, which shelters it from the worst of the weather. Quaker Oats are usually planted in September or October and are ready for harvesting by early August the following year. These are known as winter oats. In northern parts of Scotland the oats are not planted until March and are harvested in September or October.

The milling process

Every single delivery of
Quaker Oats goes through a set of stringent quality tests before being accepted.

Any oats that are discoloured, or have low moisture levels may be rejected. The next step for the oats that have passed their quality test is to enter the milling process. Using special machinery they are separated from other grain matter (wheat, barley etc) and any weeds that have been picked up during the
harvesting process.

The oats are then shelled (or dehulled) so all that's left is the oat grain. The oat grains are steamed and then cooled, which helps to bring out the flavour of the oat. They are then cut into two or three pieces before being rolled. The size of the gap between the roller determines the thickness of the oat, and the thinner the oat is rolled, the smoother the texture of your porridge. Finally, the oats are then ready to be packed.

Caring for the environment

Technology advancements over the years means that we're very conscious of the impact of our work on the environment.

Most parts and materials used during our processes are recycled or reused where possible. The husk or shells from the oat plants are condensed to make animal feed and all Quaker Oats packaging is fully recyclable.

We closely monitor our steam boilers to avoid any smoke emissions and to extract the maximum amount of heat from the gas we burn, and the waste water from our process is treated by filtering and settling so that it is almost clear.