Whereas plant-based milk is a “quiet celebrity” within the broader plant-based class with the Plant Primarily based Meals Affiliation reporting family penetration of plant-based milk upwards of 40% in 2023 with a repeat buy price of 75%, the class noticed gross sales slide in 2023. In keeping with Circana, plant-based milk gallon gross sales fell 7.2% within the yr ending Dec. 3, 2023 with soy and almond dropping simply over 9% every and oat eking out a 0.9% improve.
The drop has been attributed partly to cost hikes associated to inflation but additionally rising shopper perceptions that plant-based milks are excessive in sugar and made with lengthy lists of unfamiliar elements that don’t match into the rising “clear” meals motion.
To deal with these considerations and produce “extra great-tasting oat-based merchandise to extra folks,” Oatly created its new Unsweetened Oatmilk, which touts zero-sugar and solely 40 energy per serving due to a brand new proprietary oat base, and Tremendous Primary Oatmilk, made with simply 4 elements, together with upcycled citrus zest fiber to ship the “creamy increase” shoppers need with out added oils, fortifications or the 9 main allergens, in response to the corporate. Each choices shall be obtainable in coming months at retailers nationwide for a prompt worth of $5.99 for 64 ounces.
Oatly President Mike Massersmith shared with FoodNavigator-USA extra concerning the inspiration for Unsweetened Oatmilk and Tremendous Primary Oatmilk, the place they sit within the aggressive panorama, how they complement the corporate’s current portfolio and the way the corporate is working with retailers at a time when many are rationalizing SKUs. Lastly, he shares the place he sees the most important challenges and alternatives for oatmilk and plant-based milk extra broadly going ahead.
The next interview has been frivolously edited for readability and house.
FoodNavigator-USA (FNU): When Oatly first launched within the US, you had three SKUs and oatmilk was comparatively unknown right here. Since then, oatmilk has develop into a staple in lots of houses that buy plant-based and a go-to non-dairy choice in lots of cafes and foodservice. I’d love when you might set the stage for the launch this week of two new varieties of Oatly Oatmilk however first describing the present panorama and the way it has developed since Oatly first got here to the US. Share with me the inspiration for Oatly Unsweetened Oatmilk and Oatly Tremendous Primary Oatmilk and the way they stack as much as the competitors?
Mike Massersmith (MM): We’re actually enthusiastic about these new improvements – the primary additions to our core fluid portfolio in 5 years! In some ways, Oatly created the oatmilk class. Once we first arrived within the US by means of the espresso group with our signature Barista Version, oatmilk wasn’t essentially a product on folks’s radar. When demand within the espresso channel proved our thesis – that folks have been in search of a scrumptious plant-based milk different that delivered on each style and efficiency – we rapidly ramped up our presence in retailers throughout the nation and are actually a staple merchandise at Walmart, Goal, Entire Meals, Alberstons, Publix and almost each different main grocery chain. Oatmilk now accounts for 22% of the complete plant-based milk class within the US. Immediately, Oatly’s current portfolio of fan-favorite oatmilks consists of the No. 1 velocity oatmilk SKU within the US, in response to Nielsen1. And as you point out, oatmilk may be very a lot now a family identify and staple. We’re pleased with having launched a class to US shoppers and to see the overwhelmingly constructive response to our merchandise.
It’s been some time since we’ve launched new fluid improvements, so we knew we needed to be considerate about what we launched subsequent. It was additionally very important to have our provide chain in a spot to have the ability to actually develop our beverage portfolio. We labored laborious to get to a spot the place we will now lean on that.
With these new SKUs, we targeted on growing merchandise that deliver each depth and breadth to our oatmilk vary for each current clients and as we proceed to achieve new folks and develop our distribution footprint as effectively. The launch of Unsweetened and Tremendous Primary displays our continued progress and unwavering dedication to furthering the plant-based motion by way of scrumptious innovation that caters to much more folks – on this case, reaching these in search of merchandise with much less energy, much less elements, or no sugar.
[1] Nielsen; Whole US XAOC; Velocity 12 weeks ending Nov. 4, 2023
FNU: Trying on the Vitamin Details panel for Oatly Unsweetened Oatmilk, I can see that this product not solely doesn’t have added sugars or sweeteners like some conventional plant-based milks, however it doesn’t seem to have any sugar in any respect? How is that this doable, as the standard enzymatic course of that Oatly traditionally has used to create its base oatmilk “creates sugar in situ” by breaking down oat starch into easy sugars?
MM: That’s appropriate. The sugar in our different oatmilks is produced throughout our enzymatic manufacturing course of. We use pure enzymes to liquefy our oats, which permits us to create a extremely creamy product that retains numerous the vitamin from the unique oat. As a part of this course of, the enzymes break the starches in our oats down into smaller parts, together with easy sugar. It’s corresponding to how the human physique makes use of enzymes to interrupt starches down into sugars throughout digestion.
Within the US, FDA steering on sugar labeling now requires that any sugar created throughout a product’s manufacturing course of needs to be categorized as ‘added’, which is why these sugars are listed as ‘added sugar’ on our vitamin labels within the US.
Unsweetened makes use of a wholly new proprietary oat base (our most important ingredient) specifically developed by our world workforce of meals scientists for almost a yr to ship on the 0g of sugar formulation of this product. This new oat base permits the product’s lighter texture and zero-sugar content material, whereas nonetheless offering the identical scrumptious Oatly style shoppers know and love. This innovation is a extremely large step for us that we’re proud to deliver to market.
FNU: How does the brand new unsweetened model style in comparison with conventional Oatly milks, which as the corporate explains on its web site are sweetened naturally by way of the breakdown of oat starch into smaller parts, like maltose?
MM: Because of this product’s lighter and fewer caloric formulation, Unsweetened does supply a barely completely different expertise than our extra textured oatmilks, like Oatly Authentic. Nonetheless, as with all our innovation at Oatly, we have been dedicated to growing a product that doesn’t sacrifice nice style and meets our sensory requirements. We’re excited for folks to check out the product themselves, and we’ve discovered Unsweetened shines greatest when utilized in gadgets like smoothies or in a single day oats, because it’s extremely balanced and clean.
FNU: Oatly Tremendous Primary seems to be a solution to the “clear label” motion and criticism that plant-based milks extra broadly have lengthy lists of elements, a lot of which will not be acquainted to shoppers, or are ultra-processed. How would you characterize the clear label motion and shoppers’ understanding of or engagement with it?
MM: We stand 100% behind our ingredient decks for all of our merchandise, but additionally perceive that they won’t work for everybody. The event of those two merchandise are direct examples of how Oatly’s innovation workforce is driving the model’s core mission – bringing extra great-tasting oat-based merchandise to extra folks.
Some inspiration for Unsweetened and Tremendous Primary got here from listening to from passionate model followers that love Oatly however have been trying to tick different dietary packing containers, like much less sugar, much less energy, or an easier ingredient checklist. Tremendous Primary’s improvement additionally stemmed from the rise of DIY on social, the place we noticed folks have been beginning to make their very own oatmilk at residence.
Because of this, we felt like we might ship one thing to every of those teams that catered to their wants extra simply with out sacrificing style – a non-negotiable precept we method all innovation with at Oatly. The observe report we’ve constructed with our fluid vary makes us actually enthusiastic about these new SKUs. We don’t wish to simply take up house with new launches, we actually wish to innovate in a manner that meets shopper wants and expands the class.
FNU: With such a brief ingredient checklist, to what extent was the corporate capable of keep the identical mouthfeel and texture in Oatly Tremendous Primary as in unique Oatly merchandise, and the way is that this doable?
MM: Tremendous Primary is made with Oatly’s unique proprietary oat base present in a lot of our merchandise folks already know and love – plus three extra elements, together with upcycled citrus zest fiber that’s sourced from the peel byproduct of quite a lot of citrus fruits used within the juicing trade. Citrus zest fiber’s nice texturizing and stabilization capabilities is what permits Tremendous Primary to ship on that nice style and mouthfeel folks count on from Oatly.
FNU: Extra broadly, how does Oatly plan to help the launch of Tremendous Primary and what are the important thing advertising messages on which the corporate will lean?
MM: We’re excited to have interaction with folks in new methods with these launches. Oatly began in espresso retailers, we moved into kitchens with our Will It Swap? collection, and as we proceed to develop, we’re dedicated to exhibiting up in novel methods and locations. Be careful for extra from us within the coming months as we launch campaigns to help these merchandise.
FNU: Many retailers have been rationalizing SKUs throughout classes in recent times. On the similar time, the plant-based milk set has continued to develop. What’s Oatly’s distribution technique and what case is the corporate making to make sure shelf house in a extremely aggressive class?
MM: These new SKUs marked a concerted effort from Oatly on each the industrial and manufacturing fronts. We have been strategic in our timing for these launches to align with our companions’ timelines and reset home windows to make sure a profitable nationwide roll out. The introduction of Unsweetened and Tremendous Primary additionally add each depth and breadth to our method, growing footprint with current retailers enthusiastic about increasing our assortment, whereas additionally assembly new shopper and accomplice wants.
We’re targeted on persevering with to develop our distribution throughout retail and out of residence channels and introduce new merchandise that match effectively into folks’s each day lives within the US (this additionally consists of some upcoming innovation catered to espresso lovers). We proceed to be inspired by the momentum and enthusiasm for our merchandise – with new companions like The Espresso Bean & Tea Leaf, Cease & Store, Costco, and by rising doorways with current companions like Goal, Walmart, and extra.
FNU: Stepping again from these new launches, what are the highest challenges within the plant-based milk class that Oatly sees for the trade at massive and the way is it responding?
MM: The best impression we will have as an organization is to transform cow’s milk drinkers customers into Oatly shoppers. We’re approaching this head on and driving better class progress and adoption with these new improvements by making them each scrumptious and available. We plan to proceed furthering this effort by providing folks extra choices and use events from Oatly. You can begin altering hearts and minds by exhibiting up in these nooks and crannies of consumption, and continued conversion is vital for our class.
FNU: On the opposite facet of the coin, what does Oatly see as the most important alternative or unmet want and the way would possibly these alternatives proceed to reshape the plant-based and dairy circumstances?
MM: The most important alternative for us is to transform cow’s milk drinkers into Oatly shoppers. If we check out the world round us, we all know that we’re in a local weather emergency. Our current US lineup of non-dairy milk options, together with Oatly Authentic, Full Fats, Low Fats, Chocolate, and Barista Version oatmilks, all have the identical creamy style, frothy really feel, and performance as cow’s milk, whereas typically having a decrease environmental impression. We see this resonating. A current Oatly flash ballot on US shopper milk preferences illustrates curiosity in dairy milk is certainly waning and plant-based options are more and more most well-liked. Greater than half (54%) of Gen Z and nearly half (49%) of Millennials polled choose plant-based milk to cow’s milk2.
Moreover, a great portion of the inhabitants suffers from lactose intolerance. But, one more reason to make the swap to oatmilk.
It’s for these causes, and by persevering with to teach concerning the elements and advantages of our merchandise, we’re assured that the chance forward of us nonetheless stays huge.
[2] Oatly partnered with impartial analysis agency Researchscape Worldwide to conduct a web based survey of 1,178 U.S. teenagers and adults aged 14 and up, which was fielded from April 29-30, 2023. The information was weighted to match the U.S. inhabitants by 9 demographics.
