Could Oat Milk Be The Next Milk Alternative Fad?

First it was soy, then it was almond. Now, oat milk could overtake the milk alternative market, especially in coffee shops.

Replacing traditional dairy creamer, soy milk was once the “go-to” milk alternative that thousands of Americans were pouring into their coffee cups. The dairy-free creamer was a hit for vegetarians, vegans and those with milk allergies, however, fears of soy causing “estrogen-like” activities in the body caused its popularity to take a hit.

When almond milk entered the market, consumers were given a different dairy-free option to choose from.

Suddenly, soy was out and almond was in.

While “nut juice” creamers have grown in popularity significantly since 2013, consumers have become more sustainably aware of how their food is being produced. Almonds require large amounts of water to be grown, so some consumers are leaning away from this non-dairy drink, switching over to more sustainably grown oats.

Now that the trend is starting to switch once again, oat milk may soon be replacing almond milk in coffee shops with companies like Oatly becoming the new ‘it’ milk alternative creamer.

Available in over 2,200 coffee shops and 1,000 grocery stores across the country, Oatly, a Swedish based company has seen a “phenomenal growth” in sales in the U.S. In Europe, Starbucks has begun offering beverages including the oat ingredient, and consumers are drinking them up. However, the popular coffee chain has not yet brought the “milk” to America despite seeing the trend increase.

In the states, Oatly has presented the ingredient to smaller coffee chains who are looking for an alternative to cow’s milk that is creamy, latte-art-capable, healthy and sustainable, according to USA Today.

As more consumers become aware of this liquefied oat trend, could it soon be the next milk-alternative fad dairy producers need to watch out for?

Taylor Leach
Mon, 08/13/2018 – 15:34

Newsletters

Could Oat Milk Be The Next Milk Alternative Fad?

JOB TITLE: PRE-SELL DAIRY HYGIENE SUPPLIES SALES SPECIALIST