sofi-Winning Simpli OatShakes Gains Distribution in Canada

Under a new agreement, the all-natural drink from Finland will be available through Pacific Bottleworks Co. in Langley, British Columbia.

Simpli OatShakes, winner of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade’s (NASFT) sofi award for best new beverage, has signed a new distribution agreement in Canada with Pacific Bottleworks Co. Ltd., a full-service beverage importer and distributor in Langley, British Columbia. 

“Canadian oat-lovers have been asking where they can buy GMO-free Simpli OatShakes, so we are pleased to start selling our award-winning oat-smoothie north of the border,” said Helena Lumme and Mika Manninen, co-founders of Simpli/Oat Solutions LLC. “Of the several distributors that we considered, we felt that Pacific Bottleworks is the best fit for us.” 

Simpli OatShakes, an all-natural drink innovation from Finland, has grown rapidly since it was introduced to the U.S. market. The portable, single-serve drink that comes in chocolate, coffee and tropical fruit flavors, has won three major U.S. food industry awards: BevNET’s Best New Smoothie, National Restaurant Association’s Food & Beverage Innovation Award, and the sofi for Best Cold Beverage. In the United States, the drink is currently sold in 38 states and 1,200 stores, expanding to 2,000 stores by the end of 2012. 

The idea for Simpli OatShakes started in 2008, when U.S.-based émigrés Lumme and Manninen were visiting their native Finland and tasted their first oat-based smoothie, and decided soon after to bring it to America.