Oatly pours into coffee creamer category with launch of new product

Dive Brief:

• Swedish oat milk maker Oatly is once again expanding its North American product line with the launch of its Oatmilk Creamers. 
• The creamers are available in grocery stores nationwide in four classic flavors: Sweet & Creamy, Vanilla, Caramel, and Mocha and are aimed at “inspiring increased use in coffee occasions,” the company said in a statement. 
• This is the latest push by Oatly to cast a wider net of consumers. Last month, the company launched Unsweetened and Super Basic oat milk, its first new product launch in over five years.

Dive Insight:

The oat milk maker is confident that the move into creamers will “unlock a strong opportunity to reach new and existing buyers,” it said in a press release. Plant-based creamers have been up 13% in dollar sales and 9% in unit sales over the past year, according to data from Oatly.

The company already has multiple oat milk products available in North America region including Barista Edition, Original, Full Fat, Low Fat, and chocolate.

The new creamers allow Oatly to expand to a wider net of consumers looking for options with a clean ingredient deck. The gluten-free, vegan items are designed to capture the attention of coffee lovers — whether they are plant-based or not. 

“As a company, we’re committed to converting cow’s milk drinkers into oat milk buyers,” said Leah Hoxie, senior vice president of innovation at Oatly North America in a statement, “No matter consumers’ dietary preferences, it’s our hope that all coffee drinkers can agree with our belief that our new Oatly Creamers deliver superior taste and functionality – just like the rest of our oat milk portfolio.”

The company recently reported its fourth-quarter earnings results for 2023, with CEO Jean-Christophe Flatin commenting that “it was a pivotal year where we executed a significant re-calibration of the entire organization to stabilize our business and ensure we are properly positioned for long-term success.” 

The company saw a revenue of $204.1 million, a 4.6% increase from the same period last year. With the coffee creamer, Oatly seeks to build on its momentum.

Oatly had been dealing with supply chain challenges since 2021 when oat crops in Canada and the U.S. experienced major droughts, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine furthered the shortage. Then in 2022, other issues led the company to warn its consumers of price increases.