Coffee has become such a cornerstone of our culture that for many of us, coffee choices are part of our identity. And coffee is ubiquitous: 7 in 10 Americans drink coffee every week, and 6 in 10 drink coffee every day.
Plant-based milks have been around for centuries, but in the past few years, the industry has grown to a market value of $20 billion. Part of that rise is fueled by eco-minded1 and racially diverse2 young people, who are consuming five times more plant-based milk than previous generations, but Americans of all ages are partaking.
Plant-based milks are transforming coffee culture, with oat milk leading the way, growing 44 times in popularity in the past three years alone. Oat milk’s creamy texture, smooth flavor, and low carbon emissions make it a favorite among customers. In response, coffee shops are increasingly adopting oat milk as the new standard for their beverages.
Historically, coffee shops have upcharged for plant milks, financially penalizing those who forgo cow’s milk for environmental, ethical, or health reasons—including those with lactose intolerance, which is particularly prevalent in communities of color. But with skyrocketing demand for oat milk, many cafes aren’t just removing the surcharge—they’re making plant milk the automatic choice by serving oat milk by default.
An easy shift to make café drinks with oat milk as the default, unless customers choose otherwise.
Trendsetters like Bentonville’s Onyx and Sacramento’s Pachamama both began serving oat milk by default—with the choice to opt for cow’s milk—early on. Around the same time, we partnered with Guilder Cafe in Portland, OR, to pilot removing their dairy default; plant-based drink sales increased by 18%, reducing drinks’ carbon footprint by 12%. Multinational chain Blue Bottle Coffee announced its transition to an oat milk default the following June, followed by Birch in New York and Portland-based Stumptown. All have cited sustainability as a major reason to shift to oat: every dairy latte switched to oat saves two showers’ worth of water, and every three lattes save the equivalent carbon emissions of driving a mile.
Employees and students are advancing a similar shift in office and campus settings. In 2022, through a pilot with BFF-incubated organization Greener by Default, LinkedIn started serving oat milk by default in their San Francisco office’s cafe. Down the coast, University of San Diego students worked with BFF and Farm Forward to make USD the first American university to pilot an oat milk default in spring 2023. Many students elsewhere in the U.S.—and around the globe—are pursuing similar policies.
However and wherever you drink it, coffee brings us together, and, just like any other culture, coffee culture is formed in community. The implications are huge: coffee drinkers everywhere can transform how coffee is served, creating a more sustainable and inclusive norm. A drink so ubiquitous offers opportunities to all kinds of social spaces, meaning plant-milk defaults aren’t limited to coffee shops, or even to the restaurant industry at large!
Whether you’re a coffee shop owner, a student or employee at an institution that serves coffee, or just a coffee enthusiast, you can be a part of the shift to plant milk by default, or better yet, oat milk by default.
Dairy is detrimental to our ailing planet, generating more greenhouse gases than its plant-based alternatives while also requiring more water, land, and fertilizer. Studies suggest that Gen Z is more concerned than previous generations about products’ environmental footprints—and is willing to spend extra to support companies with sustainable business practices.
An estimated two-thirds of the world’s population struggles to digest lactose, mainly people of African and Asian descent. In the United States, that figure drops to 36%, which is still over one-third of the nation! Notably, Gen Z is the most racially diverse adult generation, at just 52% white non-Hispanic. Serving coffee with oat milk rather than cow’s milk allows businesses to serve a wider (and younger) customer base and be inclusive of historically marginalized groups.