Plant Milk Brand Oatly Creates Chinese Word Meaning ‘New Milk’ To Drive Health Awareness

Oatly, the leading alternative dairy phenom from Sweden, has created a new Chinese word in an effort to revolutionise ‘plant milk’ consumption in the 852. New research shows that while only 12% of Hong Kong’s population are fully aware of the health benefits of plant-based milk, a whopping 86% would like more information on the topic to be disseminated to the masses. This inspired the Swedish brand to build a campaign around a new term for plant-based milk.

The just-created character, which means “new milk,” unites the Chinese element of plant and the character of milk, thus highlighting plant-based milk features that will be used in coffee shops and store transactions to drive the push for public awareness.

“We want to make the world better. We can see encouraging signs in Europe. More and more people are now eating less or no meat or are vegan,” Tony Peterson, CEO of Oatly, said in a statement. “While making radical changes to your diet may be hard, switching from cow’s milk to more sustainable plant-based milk is an easy step for everyone. We are bringing the debate of plant-based milk and cow’s milk to Hong Kong and encouraging Hong Kong people to make well-informed milk consumption decisions.”

Arriving to Hong Kong last summer, Oatly set its roots in over 70+ outlets at local coffee chain Pacific Coffee. With its creamy texture and flavor of milk (without lactose or cows), the plant-based craze is now widely available at speciality coffee shops around the city. Overseas, sales of Oatly became so popular so quickly, they prompted shortages and edged out former non-dairy faves such as soy and almond milk.

As US milk sales have dropped by more than $1 billion USD, the plant-based beverage industry is expected to dominate the market as consumers go dairy-free. In fact, according the the Plant Based Foods Association, plant-based milks “now represents 15% of the total milk market”.

Independent market research company IPSOS recently conducted an online survey of 1,000 people about people’s attitude towards milk consumption and found that 73% of Hong Kong citizens would consider switching from cow’s milk to plant-based milk if they knew more about why it is better for the human body and environment. The survey also revealed that over 80% of respondents felt that ‘we are being educated by teachers or parents to drink cow’s milk since we were young’ and 51% agreed that ‘there was no suitable alternative to cow’s milk available on the market’ showcasing the potential for a mass campaign dedicated to promoting the benefits of dairy alternatives like Oatly, which boast an impressive nutrition profile with a minimal carbon footprint.

Founded in 1993 by science professor Rickard Öste, Oatly oat milks are loaded with fiber, calcium and vitamins where the grains are broken down without being hyper-processed to maintain its nutritional value based on the company’s patented enzyme technology. Naturally semi-sweet (thanks to the oats) with a neutral-rich taste, Oatly is completely vegan and contains no nuts, gluten or GMOs.

Read More: Our Interview With Oatly CSO: ‘Our Food System Is Broken’

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Lead image courtesy of Oatly