At every Natural Products Expo, New Hope Network poses the question: “What’s next in natural?” The answer at Natural Products Expo West 2018—at least in part—is Bay State Milling’s SowNaked™ Oats. SowNaked™ was named as a Nexty award winner in the Best New Ingredient category.

New Hope Network editors, Sterling-Rice Group staff and a group of industry judges whittled down the record number of submissions in 22 categories to 72 finalists. All the honorees were recognized at Natural Products Expo West in early March.

Naked Oats is the common name for cultivars of hull-less oats; however, these oats are anything but common! During harvest, these oats thresh free of their hulls eliminating the 30% yield loss associated with traditional oats. This allows for greater returns to Bay State Milling’s  growers—while it eliminates the energy-intensive steps of hulling and kilning (meaning, no heat or steam are needed).

SowNaked™ delivers cleaner nutrition with higher protein (18%) and lower carbohydrates (63%) than traditional oats. These oats are produced within a gluten-free purity protocol system testing less than 5ppm using the ELISA G12 method and are Non-GMO Project Verified.

Identity preserved to Montana farms, SowNaked™ oats provide a healthier, more sustainable option for processors and consumers.

Available in a variety of forms, conventional, organic and certified transitional to meet your specific needs: Whole Grain Oat Flour, Rolled Oats, Sprouted Oat Flour or Sprouted Rolled Oats.

Here’s what the judges said about SowNaked™ Oats:

“Not your run of the mill oats, SowNaked™ Oats provide a higher protein yield grain, providing an innovative vegetarian protein solution from a sustainable source. These oats are kinder to the farmer and the environment. They are grown from a hull-less oat cultivar in a closed system, traceable to the seed. Because these oats are hull-less, they provide a 30 percent improvement in grower returns. They are minimally processed, requiring no heat or steam, plus “mindfully farmed oats” are identity preserved to the individual farm and grower. We like it!”

Here’s what Peter Levangie, Bay State Milling’s president and CEO, had to say.

“I think it’s terrific and exciting that one of our new ingredients—SowNaked™ Oats—was nominated for a Nexty.  Who would have thought that 119-year-old wheat miller would be capable of creating such a novel product?  I am grateful and proud of Dan Collins (Bay State Milling’s Entrepreneur in Residence) and the team for the years of work that have gone into this effort.  SowNaked™ is such an awesome example of how Bay State Milling is connecting agriculture and food to support our core purpose and exemplify our approach to the business.”

Said Collins, “The criteria for the NEXTY award is well aligned with our Bay State Milling values; Innovation, Inspiration, and Integrity. I am grateful to be part of a company whose values and core purpose drive us toward the type of work which would receive such prominent industry recognition.“

For more information, visit www.baystatemilling.com.