Plant-based milks at work. What you need to know

Are you providing your team with an alternative milk to dairy? With nearly half of UK adults now using plant-based milk*, is it time to add it to the office shopping list?

As a facilities or office manager, part of these important and challenging roles is to keep your team happy. It’s a proven fact that happy employees are more productive so it makes sense to treat them well. Most offices provide a range of different coffees to choose from, but unfortunately, not everyone is taking the same approach to milk.

Why are people switching to plant-based milk?
The global plant-based milk market is booming. Just here in the UK, plant-based milk sales reached an estimated £394 million**. That’s a 32% increase from 2019. So what’s driving this relatively new trend?

There’s a movement of people who are opting for more plant-based lifestyles or going entirely vegan. This is due to a number of factors that include sustainability, health, and growing allergy concerns. Others are making the switch for animal welfare reasons. It’s interesting to note that dairy milk is still the UK’s number one choice, with oat milk topping the plant-based market.

What does your team want?
In today’s diverse office culture, a lot of people want choice. If you’re only catering for those who enjoy dairy milk in their coffee, you may alienate those who opt for plant-based milk. Consider holding a team meeting or simply sending out a survey so you can best understand and meet your team’s needs.

What does plant-based milk taste like?
If you’re choosing which type of milk you want to provide, along with the cost, you’ll want to consider what each one tastes like. Depending on what they’re made from, they all tend to taste slightly different.

Oat milk is touted as the most similar tasting to dairy milk hence its popularity, but there are many varieties. You can choose from soy, coconut, pea, potato, hemp and lots of nut milks are available that include almond, cashew, and macadamia. Most of these work well in coffee and you can even use some of them in your office coffee machine to make lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos.

There’s no doubt that the plant-based lifestyle is increasing in popularity. Speciality Coffee Association trainer and FreshGround’s Head of Sales, Scott Barnes is seeing a growing number of enquiries about plant-based milk. “Our existing and new customers are becoming increasingly interested in providing their team with at least one plant-based milk. For various reasons, there’s probably at least one or two people in every team that prefers a dairy-free milk alternative. It just makes sense from a company culture perspective to cater for their preferences. We tend to recommend oat milk as it’s a good all-rounder, especially in coffee. It foams well and tastes similar to cow’s milk.”

We’d love to know your thoughts on plant-based products in the office. Take our survey today and you could win one of ten £25 Amazon vouchers! Simply scan the QR code above or visit freshground.co.uk/dairy-free-milk-survey and take our survey today.

If you need any advice on choosing plant-based milk for your team’s office coffee, FreshGround can help. They have teamed up with Minor Figures, who specialise in plant-based coffee products for coffee lovers.

FreshGround is a family-run business with offices in London and Norfolk. They’ve been in the office coffee business for 40 years and along with quality coffee machines, they offer outstanding customer service. To find out more or to get in touch, simply head to their website, freshground.co.uk.

* https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/almost-half-uk-adults-set-cut-intake-animal-products
*https://www.foodbeverageinsider.com/fruits-vegetables-nuts-seeds/oat-overtakes-almond-plant-based-milk-sales-soar-uk

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