Flahavan’s Oats
Our family has been milling oats in Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford for over 200 years and during that time we have developed a unique time-proven milling process that gives our oats their rich texture, toasted aroma and distinctive naturally creamy Flahavan’s taste.
Sourcing locally also helps us deliver consistent quality, as the South East of Ireland has a micro-climate with just the right amount of rainfall and sunshine to create ideal growing conditions for strong and bountiful oats. Learn more about how Flahavan’s has been milling world-class oats for generations below:
The Story of Oats
Oats have been used as a source of nourishment for human beings across the world for thousands of years.
Oats were one of the first cereals cultivated by man, recorded as being grown in China as far back as 7,000 BC. While the ancient Greeks were believed to be the first to make porridge from oats (so it really is a classic breakfast!).
However, it was the Romans who introduced oats to other countries in Western Europe, as well as other cultivated crops which they named ‘cereals’, after Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture.
Up to about the 1800s, the milled oats that people used in their homes were a coarser grain than the porridge oat-flakes we know today. It was around this time that porridge became a more popular breakfast dish and this was helped in no small part by the establishment of commercial oat millers, like Flahavan's, across Europe. Tastes change over time and porridge is now mostly made with the finer-milled oat flakes we all have in our kitchen cupboards.
With today’s busy lifestyles, there’s much more awareness of the value of simple, natural foods. No surprise then that more and more people are opting to include oats in their diet, through porridge oats, muesli, in baking, in desserts and in a range of other recipes.
Since those early days of its cultivation, porridge oats have changed little and has remained a consistent, wholesome food for people all over the world. The humble oat really should take a bow!
A Superfood that’s super-tasty.
For such a simple grain, the humble oat really is remarkable in the nourishment and health benefits it delivers.
It’s long been championed as a ‘Super Food’ and rightly so. Because oats are a slow-release source of energy**, they provide sustenance and nourishment, in a way that other foods don’t.
Wholegrain oats are high in fibre, low in salt and sugar, low in saturated fat and rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals*.
With our years of experience in producing porridge oats from this amazing raw material, we make sure that it passes the toughest and most important test – that it tastes great for you!
