Oak (flavoured milk) facts for kids
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| Type | Flavoured milk |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Lactalis |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Region of origin | New South Wales |
| Introduced | 1967 |
| Flavour |
|
| Variants | Full cream, light and strong flavours |
Oak is a very popular Australian brand of flavoured milk. It is known for its strong, creamy taste. Oak milk is owned by a big French company called Lactalis.
The Oak brand started way back in 1903. The flavoured milk we know today was first made in 1967 in New South Wales, Australia. Over the years, Oak milk became available in other parts of Australia, like Queensland, South Australia, and Victoria. It even launched in Western Australia in 2013.
Contents
Delicious Oak Flavours
Oak flavoured milk comes in many exciting flavours! Some of the main ones you can almost always find are:
- Chocolate
- Strawberry
- Banana
- Vanilla Malt
- Iced Coffee
Special Edition Flavours
Oak often teams up with other companies to create special, limited-time flavours. These are only available for a short while!
For example, Oak has worked with Allen's (a candy company) and Nestlé to make flavours like:
- Allen's Jaffas
- Allen's Red Skins
- Allen's Chokito
- Allen's Pineapples
- Nestle Peppermint Crisp
- Allen's Fantales
Oak has also released other limited edition flavours that are no longer available, such as:
- Cookies & Cream
- Strong Iced Coffee
- Mocha
- Cinnamon Donut (this one was only sold at Woolworths)
7-Eleven Exclusive Flavours
Oak has even made special flavours just for 7-Eleven stores! Some of these have included:
- Mocha
- Choc Peanut Butter
- Caramel Coffee
- Choc Malt
- Blue Heaven
- Lime Spider
- Caramel Popcorn
- Rocky Road
- Cola Spider
Other Oak Products
Besides regular flavoured milk, Oak has tried other fun products.
- Since 2017, you could sometimes find Oak in a frozen chocolate soft serve form.
- Oak also makes long-life milk (UHT format) in chocolate and strawberry, which means it can be stored for a long time without needing to be refrigerated until opened.
Thicker Shakes and Protein Drinks
In 2013, Oak launched 'The Max' range, which included flavours like Cool Choc Mint and Molten Caramel. The Molten Caramel was special because it became thicker after you shook it!
Later, in 2017, the 'Oak Thick' range came out. These drinks also get thick like a milkshake when you shake them. Flavours included Death by Chocolate and Vanilla Killa.
Oak also has 'Oak Plus', which is a sports recovery drink launched in 2017. It has extra protein to help people recover after exercise. It comes in vanilla, chocolate, and banana & honey flavours.
In the past, the Oak brand also made other dairy foods like ice cream, butter, and custard.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition in Oak milk can be different depending on the flavour. However, the main flavours like chocolate, strawberry, and banana are quite similar.
For example, the 'Oak Max' and 'Light Chocolate' versions have fewer calories and less fat than regular chocolate milk. On the other hand, 'Egg Nog' has more energy and fat. 'Oak Plus' has a lot more protein, which is good for athletes.
Here's a look at the nutrition for a typical chocolate milk:
| Chocolate Milk | Per 300ml Serve | Per 100ml |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1128kJ | 376kJ |
| Protein | 9.9g | 3.5g |
| Fat | 10.8g | 3.4g |
| – Saturated | 6.6g | 2.2g |
| Carbohydrate | 33.0g | 11.0g |
| – Sugars | 31.8g | 10.6g |
| Sodium | 150 mg | 50 mg |
| Calcium (%RDI*) | 345 mg (43%RDI*) | 115 mg |
Who Owns Oak?
Since 2019, the Oak brand has been fully owned by Lactalis. Lactalis is a very large French company that makes dairy and food products all over the world. They bought Oak from another company called Parmalat.
Sports Sponsorships
Oak has been a big supporter of sports teams in Australia. Sponsoring means they give money to a team, and in return, their brand name is shown.
Oak was the main sponsor for the National Rugby League team, the Penrith Panthers, from 2012 until 2024.
They have also sponsored other sports teams in the past, including:
- the Newcastle Jets (a soccer team)
- the Newcastle Knights (another rugby league team)
- the Melbourne Stars (a cricket team)
- the Port Adelaide Football Club (an Australian Rules Football team)
Oak Milk Bars
In the past, there were special shops called Oak Milk Bars in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. These were places where you could buy Oak milk and other treats.
Some of these old milk bars were in towns like Newcastle, Hexham, and Peats Ridge. They were often found along the main roads north of Sydney.
Today, one Oak Milk Bar at Freemans Waterhole is still open. A new Oak Milk Bar also opened in Rutherford in September 2020.
