In a world where almond milk was king and soy milk was the quirky alternative, a group of Swedish scientists looked at a bowl of oatmeal and thought, “Hey, why not drink this instead?”. And thus, Oatly was born. The Swedish tradition of taking good things and pimping them up with Nordic design. Just with oat milk, not with furniture.
Founded in the 1990s by scientist Rickard Öste, Oatly didn’t exactly burst into the scene. It was more like a slow, creamy trickle. But boy, has that trickle turned into a tsunami of oat-based goodness.
“Our purpose as a company is to make it easy for people to turn what they eat and drink into personal moments of healthy joy without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources in the process,” states Oatly. And who are we to argue with that noble, delicious cause?
Your Latte kills our planet
Here’s a real kicker: according to a study by the University of Oxford, producing a glass of dairy milk results in almost three times more greenhouse gas emissions than any plant-based milk. Every time you drink a glass of regular milk, you’re giving Mother Nature a tiny kick in the shins. Not cool, latte lovers. Not cool.
Oatly’s CEO, Jean-Christophe Flatin says: “Many people are still unaware of the significant climate impact of their food choices. Our global food system is responsible for around one-third of total human-caused global greenhouse gas emissions, with around half of those coming from the animal-based sector.”*
This is why oat milk matters. The global dairy alternatives market is expected to reach $43.6 billion by 2028 (MarketsandMarkets). That’s a lot of non-dairy lattes, happy cows and planets. But this is just the beginning.
Jean-Christophe: “Currently, global cow’s milk consumption stands at around 600 billion liters, in the last year while we produced about 520 million liters of oat milk. This gap illustrates the vast journey ahead of us.”* Oatly uses a great strategy to make this journey a successful one: Behavioral change.
Oatly uses a great strategy to make this journey a successful one: Behavioral change.
Wow, now Cow!
Oatly swaggered into the market, great carton designs, fantastic marketing, fully instagrammable, and great campaign copy. Legendary this one: “Tastes like sh*t! (You’ll get used to it.)”. Or that: “it’s like milk, but made for humans”.
Oatly changed the image of dairy alternatives. Their oat milk isn’t just no-milk: it’s a lifestyle choice for the “post-milk generation” (another Oatly slogan).
They’re the Beyoncé of plant-based milk – they weren’t the first, but they sure as hell made it iconic. Jean-Christophe says: “Our approach to driving behavioral change is rooted in behavioral science, which tells us that changes must be easy, simple, delicious, and informed to be lasting.”*
Therefore, Oatly shows the whole community of impact citizens out there how to do it: Build a love brand, market it like you would promote a lifestyle product. Sustainability must look cool on TikTok to trigger that change we’re yearning for.
And something to add
Oatly was one of the first impact companies to understand that sustainable alternatives must bring clear benefits. Only few change their behaviour just for ethical reasons. Change likes changes if they are not improving your life. This is why Jean-Christophe emphasizes the health aspect of oats: “Nutritionally, oat milk offers a good source of fiber and essential nutrients.”*
And the environmental aspect? Well, just in case you want to be well-informed enough to start oat discussions with your cow’s milk-loving partner: “Oats are remarkable for several reasons – their impact on nature, including soil health and climate benefits, and nutritional value. In terms of nature, oats require significantly less water compared to crops like almonds and have a better ability to sequester nitrogen, reducing the need for fertilizers. This makes them a crop of choice for regenerative agriculture, enhancing soil quality with each crop rotation.”*
Tastes good, looks good, feels good: Now you know.
The Oat-Based Ecosystem
Oatly is not alone in this plant-based project. There are other impact citizens fighting for more plants on your plate:
• Beyond Meat: Making meat from plants. Because we’re living in a world where oats can be milk and peas can be burgers.
• Impossible Foods: Another plant-based meat company that’s making waves. Their burgers ‘bleed’ thanks to plant-based heme. It’s like a magic trick, but with molecules.
• Just Egg: They’re scrambling the egg industry with their plant-based alternative. It’s perfect for people who love eggs but hate the idea of chicken concentration camps.
Say “yes” to your barista
After hard times, and baristas around the world get used to the sentence “with oat milk?”, there is still a long way to go until we reach oat singularity. And you can be part of this mission. For the first time since humans decided that drinking the milk of other species was a good idea, we have a way to enjoy our favorite dairy products without torturing them. It’s guilt-free gluttony, at last.
The next time you’re faced with a coffee menu, ask yourself: Do I want my latte to come from animals that planned to grow their babies with it? Do I really want to kill the planet with my Macchiato? Do I want to be part of the problem, or do I want to be part of the delicious, oat-based solution?
If you want to become an environmental activist, start with your morning coffee: make the better choice, have better breath.
We at GICA believe in the power of innovative solutions like Oatly to drive positive change in our food systems and beyond. Join our impact network at gica.community and be part of the movement to save humankind, one oat milk latte at a time. Maybe even check out this other article about the future of food.
The future is plant-based, it’s sustainable, and thanks to Oatly, it’s creamy and delicious. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have some oat milk ice cream to eat. For research purposes, of course.
*Quote from investment reports.
Jean-Christophe on LinkedIn? Here!
