Nov 21, 2024
MYOM wins great taste award for make your own oat milk product
Oat milk company, MYOM, is minimising packaging waste and transportation emissions by selling an oat premix that turns into a milk when mixed with water.
Offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional oat, nut and soya milks – which are usually shipped in cartons containing 90% water – MYOM is available in convenient, recyclable pouches. This avoids both excess packaging materials and incremental carbon emissions associated with additional materials and weight. MYOM is the first UK oat milk to win an ‘outstanding, above and beyond delicious’ Great Taste Award.
MYOM eliminates waste, excess packaging and the need to keep things cold as it’s shipped from their factory to customers. The MYOM pouches and caps are also fully recyclable from home, made of the same material as yoghurt pots and food tubs. All MYOM paper and card products are made with sustainable, renewable materials from well-managed forests. Winning awards on taste, this offers people a more health and sustainable conscious choice for milk.
Very interesting. Brands in other categories (e.g. household cleaning) have been trying to establish this ‘just add water’ to save resources and avoid the large packs model, so, why not milk? Plant milk is hydrated during production, so simply add the water at home. This is a genuine innovation.
The challenge though is that, to date, the success of this approach seems mixed. Convenience still reigns supreme and the data is generally consistent. Whilst a cohort of consumers are committed and act, most people occupy an ever-moving middle ground. They talk a good talk on sustainability, make a few adjustments, when it suits them or when pricked by their conscience, but are quick to row back if it is ‘inconvenient’ or has a noticeable premium. This is a commodity category and even the plant-based revolution barely impacted the entrenched shopping and milk-usage behaviours. Convincing people they want or need this will be tough and requires a long-term brand building approach. MYOM has the right approach with a focus on product taste and personalisation to overcome doubters, adding a benefit beyond the sustainability message.
MYOM’s launch is a key aspect of #what brands do – brand innovation, like this, is key to helping people change behaviours but carries risk. Stick with it, whether niche or mainstream. It is encouraging to see the initiative and it could work.
