Cavena Nuda Naked Oats

While looking into alternative crops, Scott Sigvaldason found a hulless, hairless oat variety that tasted like rice. The Arborg-area farmer saw an opportunity in the crop and approached MRAC for support in 2005. An advantage of the oats is that they come out perfectly processed in the hopper and don’t have to be taken to another facility for processing.

“The tricky part was finding out how the oats fit into the marketplace. Turns out you can use it as a rice replacement and that was the real hook we had,” says Sigvaldason, owner of Wedge Farms.

Manitoba farmers continue to grow thousands of acres of these oats for processing. Sigvaldason has formed the company, Smart and Natural Foods, and is currently introducing this Manitoba-made product to consumers and chefs around the world.

These same hulless oats are now being used by Campbell’s Canada in a new canned meal product. Click here to read the story in the Manitoba Co-operator, March 17, 2011 issue.

To view the project information click here.

Watch the video clip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX4-qOY6OoA

Smart and Natural Foods website: http://mysmartfoods.com/