Plant-based milk company Vitasoy unleashes its purpose-led rebrand on the Australian coffee industry and explains how its driving transformational change.
Vitasoy has been producing plant milk for more than 80 years globally, and doing so in Australia for over 20 years. But Vitasoy Australia Managing Director David Tyack says plant milk isn’t static. It’s a rapidly evolving beast, and even more so in the context of coffee.
“What we’ve seen over the last five or so years is a series of monumental shifts, with the explosion of first almond, and now oat, as well as an influx of new brands coming into the market. As such, it’s important to not stand still, and make sure we have the right products, and right proposition, to match the times,” says David.
That’s why the brand is releasing its new Barista’s Choice by Vitasoy range, which will feature a complete overhaul of its brand proposition and revamped oat milk recipe. David says it delivers a “creamy texture and flavour that complements coffee so well”.
“Vitasoy is a company built on the foundations of making positive contributions to society. When it came to our café portfolio, our challenge was around how we could evolve to ensure we had a proposition which accurately reflected our values and propelled our journey towards being a truly purpose-led brand,” he says.
That’s what Barista’s Choice by Vitasoy is all about.
“Whether it’s our commitment to Australian-grown and Australian-made, our efforts to champion sustainable practices, or our enduring partnership with [national campaign] CafeSmart, we want Barista’s Choice by Vitasoy to be known as the positive choice for Australian cafés,” David says.
Vitasoy will bring together industry partners, including brand ambassador Matthew Lewin, and CafeSmart, to develop a series of new and exciting initiatives to bring the brand to life.
“Fundamentally, Barista’s Choice by Vitasoy is about driving transformational change in the way we approach the coffee market, creating a platform for us to communicate our unique brand purpose to café owners, baristas, and coffee-lovers alike,” David says.
“We want to show the industry how the simple act of choosing Vitasoy helps contribute to growing a better Australian community – supporting Aussie farmers and agriculture, delivering incremental steps towards a more sustainable future, and giving something back to society.”
Vitasoy Australia – now 100 per cent owned by Vitasoy International – first entered the coffee market back in 2009. David says a lot has changed since then.
“The relationship between plant milk and coffee continues to be a journey, and one which requires significant focus, but it’s important to remember that we play only a small part in the grand scheme,” he says.
“Ultimately our role is to help make it as easy as possible for cafés and baristas to serve up the perfect plant-based coffee.”
As the demands of the industry and consumers have evolved, so too has Vitasoy’s approach to its ingredients, processing, and packaging.
“It’s a constant process to ensure we are consistently delivering the high-quality, fit-for-purpose products that the market expects,” says David.
Barista’s Choice by Vitasoy’s new packaging design features topographic lines that reflect the unique landscape of the growing regions where the company sources its almonds, oats, and soybeans, such as Sunraysia in Victoria, and the Northern Rivers in New South Wales.
“Vitasoy Australia employs an Australian-first sourcing strategy on all our nuts, grains, and beans that we use to make our milks. Consequently, we are tightly connected with regional farmers throughout Australia with some long- standing relationships that span more than 20 years,” David says.
“Since 2001 we’ve been converting the best of Australian ingredients into our great tasting products at our manufacturing site in Wodonga, Victoria. What started back then as a relatively small facility, with about 10 million litres capacity per year, has now grown to 70 million litres a year, and we are currently looking to invest in unlocking even greater capacity so that we can continue to meet the needs of the growing Australian marketplace into the future.”
Vitasoy has also embraced sustainable practices by enacting two positive measures on its packaging across the Barista’s Choice by Vitasoy range.
“We know that issues around packaging and environmental impact are some of the biggest pain points for conscious consumers and businesses. There is growing demand for action at all levels to reduce waste and help us all tread a little more lightly when it comes to consumption of the Earth’s resources,” David says.
“First, our milk cartons are made with bio-based Tetra Pak Craft paper from 100 per cent Forest Stewardship Council- certified sources. Second, we’ve used plant- based caps which are made predominantly from sugar cane. The combined effect of these changes is a pack which is made from 85 per cent renewable materials and delivers a 17 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, as certified by [climate change advisory firm] Carbon Trust.”
Vitasoy has also partnered with the Mulloon Institute, a not-for-profit, research, education, and advocacy organisation, which shines a light on how Australian land can become more resilient to climate extremes.
“As a leader in developing sustainable, plant-based foods, we’re about putting words into action, and have a vested interest in ensuring sustainable farming and land management practices become the norm,” David says.
Vitasoy has pledged $1,250,000 over the next five years to help rehydrate Australian catchments through the work of the Mulloon Institute, which will work to restore thousands of hectares of land.
“We are not only looking to develop the right products but want to ensure we are developing the right products in the right way. Anchoring our commitment in and around the catch cry of ‘Let’s Grow a Better World’ has been terrific in driving awareness and buy-in across all levels of our business,” says David.
Vitasoy believes the industry has only scratched the surface of what plant milk and plant-based products can do for the health and wellbeing of people and the planet, and is committed to driving the movement forward.
“We know that new entrants into the market don’t just bring increased competition but can also bring new standards on taste and performance, and that’s a good thing. It’s what makes Vitasoy hungry to strive for excellence and to continue to be viewed as leaders in the plant-based movement, delivering the best Australian-grown milks to match the world-class quality of the Australian coffee scene,” says David.
“We’ll continue to push the boundaries of taste and performance, championing Australian and supporting communities, and we think that will hold us in great stead for many years to come. We’re always keeping an eye to the future and can definitely say there are many more exciting years ahead in the world of plant-based milk.”
For more information, visit vitasoy.com.au
This article appears in the June 2023 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.