More Evidence That Oat Milk is Here to Stay

How Oat Milk Conquered America by Zara Stone, Elemental/Medium, June 3

With Oatly stocked in over 3,500 American cafes, sales skyrocketing and the arrival of a host of oat milk (and yogurt) competitors, it’s safe to say this non-dairy milk option and brand will stick around.

According to Kara Nielsen, it’s unlikely that oat milk is a fad. “There’s something very wholesome and familiar about oats for Americans. The qualities in oat milk get close to dairy milk from a texture standpoint.” Add to that, from an environmental standpoint, oat milk uses significantly less water than almond milk: 1,929 gallons per pound of almonds, compared to 290 gallon per pound of oats.

Oatly also made quite a splash with its U.S. arrival. “Starting in a more niche independent space with a distinguishing audience of millennials who are willing to pay more is clever,” says Nielsen, who noted the similarity with açaí berry company Sambazon. Its start was stocking frozen açaí puree (imported from South America) in smoothie shops. “People got a Sambazon smoothie before they knew what açaí was,” Nielsen said. “Then it got into Jamba Juice and grew from there. Now açaí’s a beverage and an ice cream and a flavoring used in shampoo, vodka…” Ah, yes, the fascinating path of a trend! Read More>>

photo credit: foodnavigator-usa.com/