Plant-based milk set to overtake cows' milk in Australian cafes — and oat milk is coming out on top
Plant-based milk may soon fill half of all drinks in Australian cafes as dairy alternatives skyrocket in popularity, with oat milk leading the charge.
Key points:
- New data shows plant-based milk is on track to capture half of all Australian cafe drink sales
- Oat milk is the fastest-growing plant milk in the market and may soon be Australia's most popular dairy alternative
- Businesses are investing in processing infrastructure to make oat milk entirely in Australia
Barista Daylen Tuckford started working at a cafe in Williams, Western Australia, two years ago. In that time, they've seen oat milk arrive and watched its popularity boom.
"Probably a year or so ago — halfway through the year I think — oat milk just started really taking over," they said.
A survey of more than 900 cafes found a quarter of Australians chose plant milk in 2021 and that the most popular option was almond, followed by soy and oat.
Cafe market analyst Sean Edwards said plant milk was on track to capture half the cafe drinks market in the next few years, and oat could soon be Australia's top-selling dairy alternative.
