Oat milk sales soar by 113% at Waitrose

Waitrose supermarket has reported that sales of oat milk drinks are booming at its stores with sales up 113%.

According to the retailer, online searches for ‘oat milk’ are up 210% and the search term ‘barista oat milk’ is up a staggering 1,517% on Waitrose.com vs last year.

Waitrose also reports that sales of barista-style alternative milks which are designed especially to be used in coffees are up 64%.

• Sales of vegan products at Waitrose have risen by 13% since last year
• Waitrose is doubling its vegan range in 2020 with over 30 new plant-based products
• BOSH! launches new range of vegan baking mixes at Waitrose

Minor Figures launch 

Keen to offer customers more products to meet the growing demand, Waitrose is launching two new dairy-free oat drinks by Minor Figures.

Launching as national grocery exclusives on 5^th August, the Oat Milk and Organic Oat Milk by East London based company Minor Figures, who specialise in ingredients to make barista-style coffees, are the perfect alternative to dairy in your coffee.

Minor Figures’ milks are carefully crafted to complement the flavours of coffee and don’t split when added to hot drinks. You can even use them to create perfectly textured micro-foam when steamed.

In addition to coffee, they are equally as delicious used in cups of tea, blended in smoothies or poured over cereal.

Pairs perfectly with coffee

In a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, Stuart Forsyth, co-founder and CEO of Minor Figures, said: “Our Regular and Organic Oat M*lks have been designed to pair perfectly with great tasting coffee. We’re all coffee people, and wanted to reflect that by creating a product that would allow baristas to heighten their customers’ own coffee-drinking experience.

“The desire for decent dairy-free products is huge, and only getting bigger, with café customers choosing oat in and out of home.”

Rising sales predicted

Speaking about the new launch, Alice Shrubsall, buyer for Long Life Milk & Dairy Alternatives at Waitrose, said that the retailer is expecting to see sales of oat milk continue to rise with the end of lockdown.

Shrubsall commented: “We’re really excited to be launching these new oat milks from Minor Figures. The demand from our customers for alternative milks continues to rise, with oat milk proving particularly popular, so we know these varieties will be the perfect addition to our range and we can’t wait for shoppers to try them. 

“We predict that as social distancing restrictions lift, sales will continue to do so too, as more of our customers continue to work from home and enjoy their barista-style coffee while doing so.”

Minor Figures Oat Milk – £1.80 for 1 litre – and Minor Figures Organic Oat Milk – £2.00 for 1 litre will be available on Waitrose.com and in shops from 5^th August.