Over the last 29 years, Excel Vending has evolved and responded to consumer demands. We are constantly looking at trends and new products, and in many cases, we lead the way and are first to the market with innovative products. One such trend is toward plant-based alternatives in both food and beverages. So, we are delighted to bring you oat milk as an alternative to dairy milk in your coffee.

Oat milk has become a trendy plant-based alternative to dairy milk over recent years, and when you look at some of the facts, it’s not difficult to see why.

Firstly, it certainly isn’t a fad; plant-based milk sales, of which oat milk is one, are projected to reach £25 billion globally by 2024. In our experience, fads don’t attain this amount of traction! 

So, what is driving the appetite for oat milk? We believe several factors make it an increasingly popular choice; these are primarily sustainability, health, and taste.

Looking at it from a sustainability and environmental perspective, the production of oat milk requires less water than cow’s milk and most of the alternatives. A cup of coffee using cow’s milk has roughly double the CO2 of a cup made with a dairy-free option like oat milk. In addition, dairy milk production requires ten times the amount of land that oat milk needs and impacts the environment more than any other non-dairy alternative.

From a health perspective, it also ticks the boxes. Oat milk is a vegan product, and we probably don’t need to explain to many the growing move towards veganism and other plant-based diets. 3% of the UK population are vegans, and the number is growing every year. Furthermore, the rate of converts to veganism can be reasonably expected to increase because we know younger people are particularly attracted to plant-based diets.

Oat milk is also lactose-free, low fat and halal, so you can see why it is an attractive alternative for a broad range of consumers looking for healthy options.

Finally, we come to the taste. Many coffee aficionados and baristas believe oat milk is better than dairy milk. They think its texture and creamy flavour react better and allow the taste of the coffee to come to the fore. In many coffee shops, it now accounts for up to 50% of sales in milk-based drinks. However, until now, it has not been possible to bring you oat milk in vending machines, but the good news is that this is about to change!

We are delighted that, working with our friends at Minor Figures, Excel Vending can now offer an oat milk option in our vending machines. Regardless of whether you choose it for sustainability, health or taste reasons, you can have the opportunity to try it with your coffee in the future. And don’t worry if it doesn’t appeal to you; we will be offering oat milk as a dual option alongside the dairy milk alternative

If you’d like to discuss the benefits of oat milk and offer it as an option, please get in touch; we will be happy to talk to you about what we believe is an exciting addition to our range of products. If you are interested in finding out more, please call us on 0845 60 40 111. Alternatively, please email us at info@excel-vending.co.uk.