We are very excited to be launching the first ever Plant-Based Summit in Australia in September. We have some of the world’s largest suppliers and distributors on board.
The aim of the conference is to discuss critical issues and trends that will affect the growth of this new market.
We have seen the retail and food service sectors embrace plant based products over the last four years and the trend is not changing, it’s getting stronger as better marketing and technology is applied to this growth. We asked two industry leaders for their thoughts around future expansion.
Please see the below interviews with Natalie Latimore, Marketing Manager at Noumi Foods (Milklab) and Tom Dusseldorp, Sales and Marketing Director at All G Foods.
Natalie you are at the forefront in development of plant-based products at Noumi, has the growth and need for plant-based products reduced at all considering Covid shutdowns?
We haven’t seen any signs of demand for plant-based milks slowing, in fact we’ve seen quite the opposite with strong growth across all our plant-based milks – June was our biggest month on record. With people more invested in their health and wellness than ever, plus also conscious of their impact on the environment, we only expect plant-based milk consumption to further increase. Australian market data suggests 1 in 4 milk coffees are currently ordered on plant milk, however we expect this to increase to 1 in 2 over the next few years, driven by oat milk, due to its likeness in taste profile, creaminess and smoothness to full cream dairy.
Natalie what’s next on the plant-based milk range that consumers will fall in love with?
Plant-based barista milks are relatively new to the coffee industry so we believe there is room for improvement across all our products. Even though MILKLAB Almond is the #1 plant-based milk used in Australian cafes, doesn’t mean we are complacent. We are continuously working with baristas and talking to consumers to understand ways we can optimise how all our plant-based milks work with coffee – with both taste and performance.
We’re also constantly looking at global trends and technology to keep us at the forefront of the plant-based milk category. Plant-based blends are something everyone is talking about right now so it’s no surprise we’re exploring this space and what MILKLAB’s iteration of this is. We also have a few innovation projects on the go focused on extending our range into new occasions and channels so our passionate and loyal MILKLAB consumer can have increased access to their favourite MILKLAB plant-based milks more of the time!
Let’s now hear from Tom.
Tom I know All G Foods are at the innovation stages in many new plant based products in retail and foodservice, can you tell me what the next big development would be in plant based dairy replacement? For example plant based cheese, cream?
I don’t think there is a ‘new & big’ plant-based development on the way in Dairy. All I see is the same products with a different plant base and a new brand saying the same thing. I believe the truly new development will be in the form of precision fermented dairy replacements. These are made, not grown. The future is delivering dairy products that the vast majority of people love, without the cow – sustainable, functional, delicious and nutritious.
Tom you have been involved in creating loveable brands, how do you get the market excited about changing their food habits when we are dealing with issues like cultural food upbringings and peer pressure of lifestyle choices?
In food, lovable brands come after a lovable product, product is what has the potential to change food habits – the brand is simply an accelerator or in some cases a detractor. Start with creating an amazing product that solves a need and you are 80% of the way there. The rest is then about executing a marketing strategy that removes all the millions of reasons that block people from considering your product.
Summary
What we have observed as a media consultant to this industry globally is, marketing has been the key to the success and growth of this sector. Café marketing has been very strong in areas like Australia, New Zealand, UK and the USA. Key brands have attracted cult followings and have engaged trendy young professionals and the nurturing new parents market. There has also been a big take up amongst the empty-nesters who are more focused now on lifestyle choice and longevity of life.
The coffee industry has embraced plant-based products and many large coffee roasters and chains are endorsing brands as they can see the opportunities in joint marketing in this high growth area. We see massive growth in oat milk in the USA and the United Kingdom due to Starbucks selecting oat milk as their preferred plant milk. As mentioned above, there is a continued increase of plant milk drinks now being ordered in cafes.
The Plant-Based Milk Summit is bringing together the forward-thinking minds in the Industry and if you would like to contribute and be part of the event contact Ryan Mein – 0448 012 212 – ryan@cafeculture.com
